The Winter Winds Bring Me Home

The cold winds of winter have arrived. When I stepped out side my front door, I was at once blasted awake by the duality of sharp crystallized air and the blindingly brilliant sunlight. My husband and I decided to go for a short walk and it was clear we would need to dress in layers as the temperatures would vary widely from open fields to protected hollows. Out of the depths of the hall closet, I retrieved last year's winter paraphernalia of scarves, hats, and gloves. Adorned with all these accessories, I decided to leave my binoculars behind; after all the migrations were over and these were only backyard woods.

Ivanhoe - A Xmas Story

 Beneath a sky dusted with December frost, open the pages of Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, and step into a Yuletide feast of chivalry, adventure, and a smoldering ember of Christmas cheer. Forget sugarplums and reindeers, for here, amidst ancient castles and sun-dappled forests, knights dance with danger, outlaws sing carols of rebellion, and a love story unfolds as poignant as a whispered prayer on Christmas Eve.

Our hero, Ivanhoe, returns from the Holy Land wrapped in mystery and shrouded in shadows. Discarded by his own father, betrayed by his king, he becomes a lone wolf, a wraith haunting the snowy English countryside. Yet, his heart, though battered, still glows with embers of goodness, waiting to be fanned into flames by the spirit of Christmas.

Ethical Shopping Decisions

"Shop wisely from ethical sources, and only buy what you need. Recycle, renovate and repair" 
Many goods made for the Western market are made using poorly paid staff from poor countries with bad human rights records. We must consider paying a little more for the purchased item in order to give a reasonable wage. In the past, children in India were paid in pennies, some as young as seven years old. They were tied to carpet looms to stop them from running away! When you can, buy Fair Trade Products that give producers a living wage. You might want to complain to the shop owner if goods are wrongly labelled, such as many real fur products which are labeled as fake fur because real fur is cheaper than fake fur! You can write to trade magazines also with your preferences and concerns and also tell your MP who might be able to assist with new legislation.

Chief Seattle

“Yonder sky that has wept tears of compassion upon my people for centuries untold, and which to us appears changeless and eternal, may change. Today is fair. Tomorrow it may be overcast with clouds. My words are like the stars that never change. Whatever Seattle says, the great chief at Washington can rely upon with as much certainty as he can upon the return of the sun or the seasons. The white chief says that Big Chief at Washington sends us greetings of friendship and goodwill. This is kind of him for we know he has little need of our friendship in return. His people are many. They are like the grass that covers vast prairies. My people are few. They resemble the scattering trees of a storm-swept plain. The great, and I presume -- good, White Chief sends us word that he wishes to buy our land but is willing to allow us enough to live comfortably. This indeed appears just, even generous, for the Red Man no longer has rights that he need respect, and the offer may be wise, also, as we are no longer in need of an extensive country.

Tonglen

In Tibetan Buddhism, a breathing meditation practice of giving and taking, sending and  receiving. It is designed to unite self with others. It is one of the special offerings of the self, with patience, concentration, wisdom, joyous effort for others and ethics and reduces self centredness and increases a sense of self renunciation.

Dr Robin Wood - The Green Shift

 

Dr Robin Wood is a Change Agent (otherwise known as an innovation specialist). Here he is speaking on the Information Channel 212 on Conscious TV about 'The Green Shift'. He invites us to transcend and transform our lives through ownership of our future. 60% of people are living in cities, yet cities are places of pollution and waste. Stop - feel - question! By bucking the current system, we can become an explorer, researcher and activist and examine our choices and become responsible for a collective and sustainable future. He has been a Fellow at the Centre for Management Development at London Business School and at the Institute for Coherence and Emergence and is now working in 35 countries on four continents to increase 'thriveability' in business management.

A Better World is Possible

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: A Better World is Possible by Bruce Nixon, Published by: O-Books as Paperback: £14.99 and E book: £8.23 409 pages Visit Author’s website where you can download your free ebook: www.brucenixon.com

Bruce Nixon is a veteran change agent, activist, writer, speaker, facilitator and business school teacher and he is passionate about sustainability, global justice, inclusive democracy and non-violence. In this comprehensive book, he brings all his knowledge and experience into the analysis of the state we are in, how we got here, and – more importantly – how we can turn things around and create a new and positive society by facing “the biggest challenge in our history”.

Earth Dance

 
Elisabeth Sahtouris is a highly qualified evolutionary biologist and environmentalist, whose work mirrors that of James Lovelock. 

Card Oracle for December

For the month of December, I have chosen all Eight of Pentacles.This is known as the ‘apprentice’ card. My first card is from The Mystic Dreamer’s Tarot and invites us to use our intuition. It describes a new path and one that requires attention, commitment, passion, aptitude and hard work to learn her art form well. Do not be discouraged, learning is never pointless. On the card, there is an image of a young woman who we see through twin arches looking out on a sea-scape. She hangs the pentacles on the wall of her studio and paints around them, perfecting her art as she works throughout the night.

Winter Mulled Wine Recipe

Mulled Wine Recipe:
Serves: 4 

• 1 litre dry red wine
• 2 (5cm) cinnamon sticks
• 1 dessertspoon whole cloves
• 1 dessertspoon whole allspice
• 1 large piece orange rind (avoid the pith)
• 1 large piece lemon rind (avoid the pith)
• 4 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

---

India - Karuna

What is Karuna? 

This is an Indian Sanskrit concept and is based on 'compassion in action'. It is a concept in Hinduism and Buddhism. Compassion for others is used to reduce pain and suffering in the world. Karuna is experienced when a person becomes enlightened. This enlightenment is the feeling od empathy for those who are in need. It is used in a type of Reiki healing. 

Introducing Kathy Jones

"One of the benefits of becoming a Crone Priestess and Goddess Temple Elder is being able look back over an extraordinary life to gain perspective, to understand how things happened through time. Now I can see the Motherline threads which have woven through my life, connecting me forward to my daughter and grandchildren, and back to the mothers and ancient grandmothers. I see how in the 1970s a wave of renewed Goddess spirituality and teachings began to unfurl across the world and how we in Glastonbury Avalon have been and are part of that amazing wave. I see how Goddess awareness began to expand and grow, connecting the hearts and minds of many people. This was especially so from Avalon where, inspired by the Lady of Avalon, Goddess in the Sacred Land here, we began to learn about Her, to love Her, to speak Her name again. All our work in Glastonbury Goddess Temple plays a major part of that magnificent flow.

Havening Therapy

 

John Stuart Mill

Who was John Stuart Mill? 

He was the son of a great philosopher, James Mill. John Stuart was a British Humanist who lived from 1806-1873 and he developed the 'greatest happiness theory'. He believed that we should work towards the greatest good for all people and that we should cultivate self discipline, courage, conscience, unselfishnes, duty and cleanliness. He believed that there is a struggle between good and evil and believed we should treat others as we wish to be treated. He was a founder of the Unitarianism Church. He was an economist and philosopher of science and reputed to ‘everything’. 

The Political New Age Toxicity

What do our politicians want from the electorate?…. They want us to be compliant!  How do they get it? By dumbing down the ability of the ordinary person to think critically! 

We all make important political decisions based on news headlines. The more a politician is in the news, for whatever reason - even for bad publicity - the greater their popularity and the more they are worth. When they lose their MP seat, they get a well paid sinecure on the board of a lucrative bank, big pharma, a chemical, industrial, or armaments manufacturer, in the media, in construction, tech company, etc. 

Politicians who have taken us to war, sell books, after dinner talks, they invite their supportive friends to sit in the House of Lords and they can enter royal privilege as a Garter Knight, as did Tony Blair. 

How has the New Age been infiltrated by the political agenda to disempower you and to make you dependent on their desires. You will be told by spiritual teachers to be self serving, to want and get more and more, as greed becomes fashionable and desirable, not think of altruism as spirituality has told you is the foundation of a spiritual life for thousands of years. There is no right or wrong any more. 

Tarot cards

Chosen at random from decks by Lo Scarabeo :-D 

Shamanic Guided Journey

 

A popular free YouTube guided meditation as per modern shamanic insight and wisdom. Do not operate a vehicle and ensure you are not interrupted for the duration of the journey. Beginning with a relaxation prior to the guided journey. 

Eurythmy

What is Eurythmy? 
This is a sacred dance or rhythmic and meditative movement where legends and myths are re-enacted. It was created by Rudolf Steiner, who formed the Anthroposophical Society when he broke away from Theosophy where he was a General Secretary of the German branch. Steiner was born in 1861, son of a railway worker and was mainly self taught and by his secondary school, he was teaching other pupils and he gained entry to University of Vienna where he studied sciences. His meditation practice was established by the time he moved to Berlin where he edited a literary magazine. 

Druidry

The Greeks learnt much from the Celts, including philosophy - Aristotle considered the Druids to be the inventors of philosophy and were the world's greatest scholars with mathematical skills greater than those of Pythagoras who learnt his skills from them. Druids studied for twenty years, learning geography, history, astronomy, physics and theology and spoke Latin, Greek and Hebrew. It is also thought the made human sacrifice to placate the gods. Druids had an oral teaching and wrote nothing down so we have no first hand knowledge of them. They were bards, prophets and priests. Druid is a word that orginates, it is thought, from the Gaulish or Greek words for 'oak' and 'knowledge'. 

The Female Cycle

The power of self-love and our cycles by Gabriella Guglielminotti Trivel

On a nice winter day ...

It was a wonderful winter day and the sun was shining so I decided to go out and give myself the pleasure to commune with nature for an hour or so.

I decided to go and see my giant friends in the wood. They are some century old beeches that form a part of the wood where I normally go walking and relaxing during my week days.

I hadn't been there to see them for a while, therefore I thought to go on my pilgrimage of love to visit my old friends.

Some of them are so big and old that they have fallen on the ground and broken in various parts. They lie on the ground with their roots exposed and show their magnificence, they are awe inspiring!

My old friends

I remember the first time that I saw a very big and old one on the ground and could not remember having seen it lying there before, therefore I realized that it must have fallen recently.

Eco-shamanism

 We are learning from the ancient tribal peoples - age old wisdom - that we must care for what we have or we will lose it. Shamanism is the original form of contact with nature spirits for the health and wellbeing of individuals and the tribe. All who heard the voice of God, prophets, sybils, seers and others, such as Moses, Jesus, Muhammed, were the equivalent of shamans. Eco shamanism is about listening to the nature spirits and caring for and protecting nature. Our unique and finite planet is in danger due to humankind's use of resources, and lack of awareness with regards to how we dispose of toxic substances. Protecting the seas, the soil and the air is now a priority as is conserving the biodiversity of our planet where every species relies on each other. 

Aerobic Exercise

Choose Aerobic Exercise!
This is any type of exercise which takes in oxygen and pumps oxygenated blood round the body. It is usually long, sustained exercise which helps you get put of breath, such as strenuous cycling, running, lifting weights, etc. This exercise strengthens the heart and lungs, Exercises, such as these, help release endorphins which help with feel good feelings, they help reduce weight and aid overall bodily health. Make sure you warm up before embarking on any strenuous exercise. A visit to your GP is useful if you are over 40 years old, have a sedentary life-style or have been in poor health.

Autogenic Training

What is Autogenic Training? 

I found this a good video on this topic. It explains the advantages of the technique. If you are listening to the recording, please ensure you are not interrupted for 20 minutes while you perform the meditation. Never operate machinery or drive while performing meditation. Autogenic Training is a powerful relaxation method which should ne conducted each day for best results. Let me tell you a story: A Russian envoy, Count Kayserling had insomnia. He asked Johann Sebastian Bach to compose music for him to help him sleep. The Count called upon Johann Goldberg to play on the harpsicord a new Bach composition. Immediately the Count fell asleep. This piece of music is known as the Goldberg Variations. In the 1970s, a Bulgarian scientist, Georgi Lozanov, studied this piece of music and found that it slowed down the bodily processes. Vivaldi, Telemann, Corelli and Handel also had a similar effect. 60 beats per minite is the desired tempo.