Trees

'If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees' (Hal Borland)

Throughout history, trees have been powerful symbols of life, growth, wisdom, nobility and longevity. Their roots reach down into the ground and their branches extend up to the sky at the same time. Steeped in many myths and legends, trees have prevailed throughout time (some oak trees reaching two hundred plus years old). These iconic plants have been recognised in many historic ideas such as the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the tree of life, the ygdrassil tree (in Norse mythology). The druids of early Britain worshipped trees, the Greeks assigned them spirits called dryads and individual trees have been revered as sacred by some cultures. They also support many ecosystems and are specific to certain climates and environments. Some of the oldest trees in the world have been found to be around five thousand years old! Celebrate the value that trees bring to our life!


Tree Consciousness

The twigs, branches - burnt by the season's frost,
Patient, grounded even in suffering;
Alone, always listening - but never forlorn.

There is no question or urgency to it's task,
Quiet understanding of cycles and patterns;
Whispers and murmurs, as the moon saunters past.

Seen through it's barrenness,
The naked eye of truth wisdom;
A blueprint of time that continues to last.

Untroubled, and still with the cold,
A custodian of enigma;
Secret keeper of old.

LB

Autumn

Autumn and spring are my two favourite seasons. I love the moderate nature of both and the wonderful richness in colours. I feel that it is a time of transition for people and nature, and whereas  autumn presents the end of a cycle, conversely; spring represents the beginning of a cyle and new life. The following poem was inspired by the giant chestnut leaves blowing around, and their beautiful, rich colours and hues, of brown, red, orange, gold and yellow.

Ghost Leaves

Into the road - skeleton bodies of leaves
are relentlessly pressed down;
Their autumnal colours, shrouds
of the season gone by.
A myriad wallpaper, brightening
the tarmac.
Little paper crunches;
Under the tyres.
Pensively, I almost wish that they
had been lovingly collected by some
small child, mother in hand.
Or, that the wind had blown them;
Hurtling them at great speed,
Like little gold mice scuttling across
the field.
But here they lay;
Until the first winter frost,
Their star shapes fading into the road -
Until their fossilisation is complete,
And all that remains are sprinkles of 
browns and gold.

LB

Greatness

'what strikes the oyster shell, does not damage the pearl' (Rumi)

This is one of my favourite Rumi quotes. I love the message that it conveys so beautifully, the idea that no matter what we endure in life, we can use this experience to draw us inwards towards essence, faith and a certainty of knowing. Knowing that whatever happens on the outside, does not necessarily have to effect the inside.

Acquiring the skill of magnifying the best in people, requires some mastery. It all begins from an appreciation and love of yourself, not just the parts that you accept or quite like, but those parts that we choose to ignore, those parts in other people that drive us crazy (we cannot see the similarity, ironically!) Learning to approach all aspects of life from a position of observation rather than judgement, can present a challenge, but it takes practice and persistency. We are all fallible! How many judgements do we consciously make in one day? (and what of the unconscious ones?)

We have to remind ourselves that people are imperfect, and when they hurt or disappoint us - it comes from a position of fear. We are either aligned with love or aligned with fear. There is no other way. And what you focus on grows. So conserve your precious energy for the good in life and grow from this point. Let go of anything that is getting in the way of that. Have love and compassion and send it on its way, without any bad feelings. Detach with love.

I am always appreciative that I am able to see the love, potential and greatness in all those people close to me in my life. For when you open your eyes to greatness, you start to see examples of it everywhere around you. We all have greatness...we just have to give it permission to shine.

Your Greatness

I had a thought of you, it is so clear
to me -
A vision of your future, just a
snapshot.
For most secrets are for you to
nurture silently.

This greatness I hold for you,
patiently.
With an uncertain knowing of
certainty.
The eternal flicker of potential,
that you bear latently.
You are bright, simmering softly.

Sit aside me awhile.
And witness a hologram;
Pay attention,
To the miracle - that is you.
Will you meet me there?

LB

Flow

'What you seek is seeking you.'
Rumi


It is very easy to get caught up in the distractions of life, where one loses themselves to the routine, chores and responsibilities. But staying aligned with your true desires and maintaining that personal focus takes work and commitment. One can easily forget that we are both a mind, a body and a spirit and each needs individual nourishment and attention to function as a happy whole.

Life flow

Back and forth;
Chasing the minutes,
Tripping over ourselves in a hedge to
catch up -
Catch up to where?

Losing ourselves -
To other selves;
Forgetting who we are, and
Betraying who we want to be.

Distracted by bright lights -
And noise - chaos from all
angles,
At every level.

Step away! Step away softly -
Retreat, retrace your steps;
And whisper that promise,
That only you are meant to hear...

LB

Essence

Nowhere to go but the heart...
(rumi)

I wrote the following poem for a friend who recently lost a close family member.

Essence

My heart swells with every
thought of your absence -
Interwoven, streaks of gold;
Dancing aflame, a candle light
flicker,
Every moment, a memory that carries,
That swell -
Like the waves of the ocean,
Inching, claiming more of the beach.
Their ambition insistent,
And you, and me, and all.
This unspoken connection,
of commonality.
Moving our limbs through the
current of life,
Until the last breath;
And we remember flying for the first time!

LB

Stillness

I have been focussing a lot on stillness this month, learning to centre the body and calm the mind. Just a subtle awareness on this topic is enough to create gentle changes in the way you go about your life. I find myself responding to situations, instead of reacting emotionally! This conserves massive amounts of energy, and I am conscious of how I utilise my energy stores. Having a vitality to your energy gives you a spring in your step and a desire to channel your energy in a positive, possibly creative way! Draining your resources through negativity becomes a less desirable option. I find reading a little of Rumi everyday, five mins meditation, laughing with friends and a gentle focus on the joyful things in life is a recipe for positive change.

Someone with a clear and empty heart
mirrors images of the Invisible.
He becomes intuitive and certain
of our innermost thought,
because "the faithful are a mirror for the faithful."
(Rumi)


To Be

Halt! In thy doing;
For thus you sacrifice the knowing,
Be still;
And seek intrigue.
Be hypnotised with the rain;
Let the raindrops soothe your being,
And bring you back to wakefulness.
For here you are free;
With such latitude,
The rose disperses its thorns.
In the full vulnerability of its ethereal
state,
And we are all such celestial beings-
Throw away the disguise,
And just so-

LB

Breath

Failing;
is not falling down,
it is staying down.
(anon)

Don't let this breed hate (tarley)

I want this to stop (anon)

One solution : evolution (anon)

The quotes above were written on the boarded up windows of the Debenhams in Clapham Junction, (London) after the rioting and looting of the last few weeks. Most of the messages were of love, but some were also of anger and hate. It saddened me to watch the young people (our children) destroy and pillage their own community. But through these events, we were awakened to the desperation and hopelessness that some of these young people feel. Out of these tragic events, a sense of community was born, whereby people came together in love and support to clean up their towns.

Russell Brand wrote a poignant and candid article (The Guardian, Aug 11) exploring the reasons why these young people would destroy their own community and his words came from a time in his own personal experience, as a teenager when he too felt a sense of hopelessness and frustration. He finished the article with the following message: 'If we want to live in a society where people feel included, we must include them, where they feel represented, we must represent them and where they feel love and compassion for their communities then we, the members of that community, must find love and compassion for them.'

And that brings me to my next point: Neal Donald Walsh talks about 'touch'. He says that we touch around 120,000 people in our lifetime, through every single person we encounter, from our family, friends, colleagues to the local tramp we give money to, or the shop assistant we see daily at our local shop. This gives us an opportunity day by day, moment to moment whether those encounters are inspiring, uplifting and positive or not?!

People want to be seen. By looking directly into their eyes you are saying 'I see the wonder and magnificence that is you.' Eyes are the windows to the soul.

Smile at people. It says I agree with what I am seeing.

Touch. Make a connection - recreate the connection between you and all of life.

This makes a difference to the people you encounter every day and creates a flowering, permission for people to be themselves. Being is doing!


Breath

Amongst a time of overwhelming,
despair and outrage -
A flowering must come;
Fragility and beauty revealing,
the wisdom within.
A whisper of its promise,
The gentlest of breath;
And breath unites us in our
humanity,
We are -
but one breath.

LB






The following poem was inspired by riots