Voices of the Sacred Feminine

Book Review: Voices of the Sacred Feminine – Conversations to Re-Shape Our World, Edited by Rev Dr Karen Tate, Published by Changemaker Books. 400 pages 
This is an anthology of specially chosen articles about the Divine Feminine, each between approx. 400 – 1,000 words in length. All articles cover some aspect of the goddess and are derived from many cultures, for instance, sacred activism, social change, planetary welfare, healing, empowerment and mutual support, in addition to challenges to major patriarchal religious thought. 

Thank you!

To be remembered and recognised, we need to make people feel good about themselves. An easy  way to do this is simply to say 'thank you'. So start to look for how and where you can be more grateful'. 'Thank you for your help', 'thanks for telling me that', 'thank you for letting me know', 'thank you for just being around', 'thank you for thinking of me'.

Even if you don't like what you're being told say "hmm, thanks for telling me that, now what about etc.". Say Thank you first. It means that the first thing you say isn't negative.

Relationship Breakdown Advice

 The statistics for relationship breakdown are so enormous that it shows how difficult we find maintaining a close relationship. Under the stress of CoVid, the situation has increased with the distress of job anxiety, home insecurity and many people have their future in question.  Even when we are similar in our tastes, priorities and energy, there are common difficulties. Many relationship problems lead to conflict rather than clean separation. Men and women have some similarities in finding relationships difficult, but there are also differences. If you offer your partner the best you can in terms of, listening and caring, and a commitment to make it work, your relationship will have some staying power. When things go wrong, speak about it, whether it is a power play, jealousy, generalised anger, or whatever, work at it and have good will and be determined to give and get the best in love that is possible. 

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.

Oracle card reading for September

The first card is number 11 and is titled ‘Elephant’ and is taken from Animal Voices by Chip Richards with the keywords ‘Responsibility, Cooperation and Empathy'. Elephants have one of the closest and most loyal family groups in the world. They live together for up to 80 years. They baby-sit each other’s off-spring and if a mother is unwell, others bring food and protect it until it is well again. When an elephant dies, the others cover it with brush and branches. Passing herds stop to offer respect – even if they did not know the individual. Elephants bring great blessings. Their trumpet reminds you that you are a force for good in the world. Ask for help when you need it and look for ways to help others. Take time to say ‘thank you’ to someone who has helped you. Return the kindness by helping them where you can.

Qabalah

What is Qabalah? 
A Rabbinical mystical Philosophy of ancient origin and handed down by word of mouth, the Qabalah (sometimes spelt Kabbalah or without the 'h' in either spelling) refers to the Creative source by four letters, YHVH, often pronounced as Yehovah, as the name of god was too holy to be spoken. The source is shown as a diagram, a glyph, called the 'tree of life', with ten aspects, from the physical world to the immaterial. These ten aspects, known as sephirot or containers, are, at their highest, altruistic and are required for an ethical life and show the importance of truth, compassion, justice, serenity, wisdom, charity, joy, trust, commitment, and other spiritual values which create a living, thriving tree which provides fruit, materials for building, etc., for the whole of the community. 

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.

The chant of 'OM'

The word 'om' has several meanings:

• The Sound of All Sounds
• The Sound of the Universe
• The Sound of Creation
• The Beginning of Life

It contains 4 separate parts: ah-oh-mmm and silence. 

Sit comfortably with your back straight. Inhale. On the exhalation begin chanting 'om' . Pause, inhale and exhale and chant again in a regular rhythm and without strain.

Recycle, Renovate and Restore

What should be recycled?

Aluminium foil, batteries, cans and tins, cooking oil, electrical equipment, engine oil, glass, mobile phones, paper, printer cartridges, Tetra Pak cartons, tyres, paint, plastics, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.
Home composting involves garden leaves, food waste, paper, etc. These biodegradable items can be saved from incineration and will provide good quality soil for the next year. Much of the soil on sale in garden centres is from irreplaceable peat bogs from places such as Ireland, so try to buy, if you must, non peat soil. Limestone pavements are also popular rocks seen in garden centres which are precious natural habitats, and get a water butt for the collection of rainwater.

M. Scott Peck

Who was M. Scott Peck?
Scott Peck lived from 1936 - 2005. He was an American psychiatrist, a Christian, and best selling author. ‘The Road Less Traveled’ and ‘People of the Lie’. These were his most well known books.  His childhood was in New York City and his parents were Quakers. He served in the US Army in Japan as a psychiatrist. Delayed gratification, kindness and authenticity were his basic teachings. 

Daan Van Kampenhout - Shaman

The art of shamanism is a communication between souls. Water, stones, animals and humans, all nature has a soul. Nomadic cultures use trance or dream states to bring balance, empowerment and quality of life to the tribe. Daan, from the Netherlands, uses song to transmit energy and to heal, to elevate consciousness and to unite people. When he was in India, he developed a serious illness and had a series of visions. Melodies were given to him in his dreams. http://daanvankampenhout.com/en/  

Jalal ad-Din Rumi

Who was Rumi? 

His life dated from 1207 - 1273, a writer, teacher, Sufi mystic from Persia. His father was a religious teacher and he studied under a Sufi master, a mystic practice that seeks to unite to the divine within the Godhead, a mystical journey and transpersonal attainment. His work became the basis for the Mevlevi Dervish Order which has music from the Afghan and Iranian traditions. 

Who was Origen of Alexandria?

Who was Origen? I would like to introduce readers to this philosopher. His name was Origen and he lived from 185-254AD. He was a writer and teacher of early Christianity and is considered to be the Father of Christian mysticism. He believed in reincarnation and the three aspects of the trinity, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He believed that those in power should pray, yet not pray for material goods but a better understanding of God. 

What is a Mantra?

 

A mantra is a repetitive group of words, that becomes a prolonged chant. Sometimes spoken and sometimes sung. Sometimes the words have meaning - calling upon a deity for instance - and sometimes they are just a group of words to focus the mind on a topic, such as health or happiness. A well known chant is that of Tibetan Buddhism 'Aum Mani Padme Hum' or 'Om Namashi Vaya' a Hindu chant. The repetitive words of many Christian prayers are also a chant, focussing the mind on devotion and clearing the mind of other thoughts. 

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’. 

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.

Sunk Cost Fallacy

 

What is Sunk Cost Fallacy? Wanting to make the most of money spent!

Saving Planet Earth

We cannot save the world by thought alone. It needs action. 
We live on a planet which is overpopulated by human beings. Most people feel powerless to do anything to save our planet from climate change with extreme weather, pollution of seas, soil and air. The over population by humans decreases numbers of all other species, sometimes to the point of extinction. We need biodiversity, we need tropical forests, we need clean oceans and clean air for our health and the health of those yet to be born.

However, even the smallest change, when a nation gets involved, can make a huge difference. Our human population has grown from 3 billion in 1960 to 9 billion by 2030.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is often shortened to PTSD. It can occur following an accident, a crime, a bad experience of any kind. Anyone can suffer from it if the stresses are great enough. It can have physiological and psychological causes, such as sleeplessness, nightmares, panic attacks, free floating anxiety, tearfulness, loss of memory, feelings of anger, depression and distress. 

Giant Cell Arteritis

After experiencing painful headaches, hair falling out, deeply disturbing potential loss of vision and hearing, patients are aggressively railroaded into temporal artery biopsies, often on both sides of the head. This extremely invasive surgery, at a time of inflammation of these delicate arteries, to cut through and micro-suture, with often delayed wound healing, is outrageous when non invasive scans are available, especially as the result does not matter, as a negative does not mean that GCA is not present and the treatment is the same as a positive test for giant cells. This operation is very expensive and dangerous. Wound healing is often a problem when other means of diagnosis are available.

Narcissism!

 

What is Narcissism? 

This is a common condition. They are your work colleagues, your family and friends, your neighbours and others than you come into contact with throughout the day. The condition is often abbreviated to NPD, the shortened form of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. We all have some aspects of these personality traits, especially when we are upset or under stressful situations. 

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.

Our Increasing Human Population

"The more people on the planet - the fewer other species can survive."

20 years ago there were 7 billion people in the world. In 2022, there are 8 billion! 

Sadly, the more the human population increases, the more other species which share our planet are decreasing in numbers, many to the point of extinction. This is because other creatures need virgin land to survive. They are hunted for many reasons, our need for land to grow plants and raise domesticated animals reduces their precious habitat, and mining cuts through their areas with large vehicles on fast roads that cause numerous painful casualties. They can suffer from pollution, infections and fires, their lives are a struggle for food and water and shelter. As the human population grows, our seas become polluted with plastics, fish eat the plastic and enter the human food chain, contributing to our ill health.