Dancing goddess – a (free) audio meditation
15/08/2021 at 1:17 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: free meditation, inner goddess, meditation, meditation inspiration, Mind body spirit, self-care, Spirituality, visualisation, wellbeing
Friend Sue picked the theme for this week’s meditation, but she couldn’t make the actual event, so I decided to record the meditation for her, and for others who might like to hear it. May it relax and empower you.
Photo: Julia Caesar/Unsplash
Message from the oracle deck
03/08/2021 at 5:28 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: Guidance, healing, inspiration, Intuition, intuitive development, Mind body spirit, oracle, self-care, Spirituality, wellbeing
There is a pack of oracle cards, called the Oracle of Illumination, that was given to me by Vivien, a dear friend whom I met during my training with The Healing Trust. The bag that the cards rest in nowadays was a gift from Judith, a beloved sister of mine. Both women are now in the light, and yet it feels to me as though their kind influence is evident each time I use the cards.
This morning I drew the card, ‘Energiser’. The book that came with the deck was discarded long ago as I am one of those lawless beings who likes to receive impressions directly from an oracle, without reference to the authors’ personal interpretations. Instead, I went for a walk through the local meadows and let the word become a refrain as I strolled. And these were some of the questions in my mind.
How does the word ‘energiser’ figure in your life today? What and who energise you? What and who leave you feeling low in energy?
I realised that walking in green spaces or doing some yoga or writing my current novel can be deeply energising, even if, before the start of those exercises, I was feeling tired. In contrast, sitting still for long periods doing nothing in particular can actually deplete my energy. And although there are necessary, dull tasks in everyone’s day, making sure to include energising activities, whatever that means to you, is essential self-care.
Infusing summer
01/07/2021 at 4:03 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: elderflower cordial recipe, elderflowers, natural recipes, taste of summer, wellbeing
Drinking plenty of water is a priority in warm weather. Staying hydrated can help improve mood, memory and the digestive system, among many other benefits.
My favourite method is to infuse water with fresh herbs, fruit and flowers. I use a bottle that comes with its own filter. At the start of the day, seasonal edibles are added, such as elderflowers, roses, sweet cicely and lemon slices. This makes an instant, sugar-free summer cordial, (Note about elder: just use the flowers, with the fine stems that connect them; discard leaves and thicker stems. With sweet cicely, the whole plant can be used.)
For extra flavour, I sometimes add a few Positive Potions botanical drink drops. Made from herbs grown in a walled garden in Anglesey, these are a great store cupboard standby. They come in a range of blends with uplifting names such as ‘Bliss’, ‘Flourish’ and ‘Renew’, and are free of sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Drinking infused water feeds all the senses. There’s the pleasure of foraging and gathering fragrant plants in the cool of the morning; the visual delight of vivid plants swirling in the water; and the freshest of delicate flavours to enjoy. When the bottle is emptied, simply refill it once or twice during the day. The only real question is what to put in it tomorrow: perhaps a simple cucumber and spearmint duo; or apple mint and lemon balm with rose petals and orange. Or even my newest favourite: lemon slices with roughly chopped ginger root – zingy bliss in a bottle. Experimenting is half the fun.
Wellbeing notes: Of oceans and sea glitter
01/06/2021 at 5:52 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Our county is such a special one, of chalky downs, bluebell woods and stone circles… but one thing it entirely lacks is an ocean. There would have been one in previous eons, and we can still find the signs of it in the form of maritime fossils. To the north west of our village, for example, there is the Star Well, situated on private land, where a person can run their fingers in the silt that emerges from an ancient spring and, if they are lucky, find tiny, star-shaped fossils in the palm of their hand.
There are countless rivulets throughout our neighbourhood that may offer up their ancient treasures. Recently, my daughter found a fossilised shell that nature had planted with a pretty garden of moss and wild garlic. Such discoveries are brilliant at reminding us of the vastness of time. They can put the challenges we face today into perspective, reminding us that ‘this too shall pass’.
Another way to gain a healthy sense of perspective is to visit the present-day ocean or, at least, our nearest sea. The journey will take you, if you are lucky, to that place and that moment where you get to see the sun reflecting off the surface of the water in a sparkling avenue of light. There is something instantly calming about the sight. Every individual gleam is a reflection of the sun in miniature. Later, when we are home from the ocean, we can close our eyes, imagine it, and achieve the same wellness of mind.
Guided meditations: album and free bluebell track
07/05/2021 at 3:33 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
First, some background…
This album of guided meditations originally came about in Wiltshire UK, for members of The Intuition Group. Each of the meditations sprang from the amazing countryside around the studio where the group met. Original background music was created by Jules Addison. Members of The Intuition Group learnt how to use nature as an oracle to mirror their own hidden wisdom and insights. You can do the same by listening to ‘Dream Library Meditations’.
Listen to sample track: Bluebell Meditation
Bluebell woods make for the best walks – and meditating on them can be wonderful too. Indigo, the colour of bluebells, is special. Not quite purple and not quite blue, it occupies only a tiny part of the colour spectrum. It’s associated with intuition, and the following meditation makes full use of that fact.
Wellbeing notes: tiny plant, giant teachings
03/05/2021 at 10:12 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 6 CommentsTags: lessons from nature, life lessons, meditation, meditation inspiration, selfcare, wellbeing
One regular walk takes me over the old canal bridge. I passed over it not so long ago and took a photo of a tiny clump of moss that grows there. Small details from nature such as moss make for excellent meditation subjects. You can give yourself a few minutes of quiet, close your eyes and imagine the tiny plant in sensory detail: the green, textured cushion; the slender stalks supporting spore capsules no bigger than a grain of rice.
When you notice that your mind has wandered, you simply remind yourself that you are here to meditate, and you focus again on your chosen subject – in this case, the moss.
We meditate in this way to pause the relentless chatter of our thoughts. It’s impossible to empty the mind completely; focusing on one subject is the next best thing. Doing this regularly can help us become calmer and less stressed. We can become more self-aware and may enjoy physical benefits, such as better sleep and decreased blood pressure.
Yesterday I returned to the bridge. I was taking a longer walk than usual and although I did pause to take in the view, I hurried on towards my destination. It wasn’t until I got home that I realised I hadn’t even noticed the moss that grows on the bridge. And I realised a simple truth: what we focus on is what we see.
My invitation to you is to choose mindfully what you focus on today.
Wellbeing notes: a time to bloom
01/04/2021 at 10:00 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 CommentsTags: Blossom, hanami, meditation, spring, wellbeing
The cherry blossom around our neighbourhood is beginning to open up like tissue paper, lit through with sunlight. I try not to have favourites among the seasons but it is painfully easy to fall in love with blossom time. The Japanese word for this brief glimpse of heaven on earth is Hanami, or ‘flower viewing’ and round about now, all over Japan, crowds are flocking to view the delicate beauty that appears and then is gone.
In England we honour spring flowers in more low-key ways but I’m pretty certain that walking among our local blossom acts as a wellbeing tonic like no other. If you are feeling low, or pessimistic, just go and bathe your senses beneath a cherry, plum or apple tree. As you do so, you may well find yourself fully present in the moment – a form of meditation in itself.
Meditating or simply reflecting on blossom brings valuable insights into the passing of time… and into what the future may bring. When I study a dark branch dotted with fresh, light blooms, I am conscious that this spring moment will pass quickly – and this is surely a truth that applies to people as well as trees. So then I fast-forward my thoughts to the way that a good percentage of the blossoms will become fruit; and then I fast-forward once more to see that a small percentage of the fruit will seed new trees. And I find that thought oddly cheering because it suggests that all the kind, encouraging and inspiring thoughts we have; all the positive thoughts we put into action… some of these will bear fruit in ways we can never possibly imagine.
Wellbeing notes: a perfect spring bounty for our times
01/03/2021 at 10:00 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 CommentsTags: foraging, nature recipes, wellbeing, wild food
One of nature’s biggest harvests is growing fast right now. It’ll be ready to gather towards the end of March, and it will keep on giving until May. This produce brings an array of vitamins and minerals to the table, as well as antibacterial and antiviral properties. And yet this wonder harvest is not farmed. It simply grows wild in ancient woodland. And we can gather its leaves for free.
The plant is wild garlic. Its botanical name, Allium ursinum, references the fact that bears apparently seek out wild garlic as their first spring food. It is a plentiful, green, spring tonic that gives energy and immunity-boosting benefits to animals weakened by a long hibernation. So this is the perfect time for us to walk in nature, to breathe in the pungent scent of wild garlic and to gather bowlfuls for the cooking pot.
Be sure to pick the correct plant. Wild garlic is green, with pale stems and white, starry sprays of white flowers. The leaves are a sort of long, floppy arrow shape, and they release their pungent odour when rubbed between fingers and thumb. Never confuse it with other, harmful plants such as lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, which has a purple stem and no odour when rubbed; or broader-leaved lords and ladies, Arum maculatum, which can often be found growing amidst a carpet of wild garlic.
You can chop wild garlic leaves finely for salads, mix them with butter, simmer them like spinach or blend them into a fabulous pesto. You’ll find some ideas here.
Wellbeing notes: message from a stream
01/02/2021 at 10:00 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 3 CommentsTags: inspiration, meditation, Michael Tippett, nature inspiration, stream, wellbeing
There’s a simple walk near my home that takes you over a brook. If you were to follow the brook’s flow you might discover that all the interlacing streams in the neighbourhood bear the same name, Cocklemore Brook, and you would eventually find that the water from the many branches of Cocklemore Brook flows into the River Avon. And the Avon would carry you through the cities of Bath and Bristol until you reached the sea.
On this particular morning I am walking beside the brook thinking about various personal projects – things relating to work and family and home. And suddenly I see that the interlacing flow of these projects is somehow the same in principle as the flow of tiny tributaries that join together into a river leading eventually to the sea. The details of my life are small and insignificant. And yet when combined with the countless tributaries of other people’s endeavours, an ocean is maintained.
What we collectively put into the ocean of our endeavours matters. If I approach my day with kindness, creativity and love, then that is what I contribute to the ocean of humanity.
The name ‘Cocklemore’ comes from the old English words ‘ock’ or oak tree, and ‘more’– a wild, unfarmed place. There are many oak trees here, and the brook flows through boggy, unfarmable land. Like its name, the insights I receive from the brook appear wild, eternal and true.
Photo: renowned composer Sir Michael Tippett used to sit on this humble bench by Cocklemore Brook, creating his later works such as ‘The Rose Lake’. It’s amazing to listen to this shimmering music while visiting the stream today.
Wellbeing notes: nature’s message of hope
01/01/2021 at 3:07 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: hope, nature, selfcare, wellbeing
There’s something so uplifting about the first, tiny snowdrops of the year – a reminder of balmier weather to come. One summer I lost someone I was close to. Grief was ever present. There was no respite from the sadness. The following January, I saw the first snowdrops emerge from black earth. And for the first time in many months, I felt uplifted. It was as if the dots of tiny white flowers spelt out the word ‘hope’ in a dark landscape. Since that time I have especially treasured snowdrops, planting them in small drifts around my garden, bringing in a few blooms for the kitchen table.
Hope is an excellent quality to cultivate in 2021. Hope reminds us that the potential for happiness is a core part of every human being. When we focus on our potential, when we visualise it as though it is already present, wellbeing enters. We become uplifted. And in that state of openness, we become receptive to the loving kindness that, I believe, always surrounds us.
One simple exercise is to write the word ‘Hope’ on a square of canvas or paper. Enjoy choosing the placement of the four characters. You might write them large and plain or add illustrations that are meaningful to you. Then display your finished work in a place where you will often see it. Let its beneficial message spill into your life.
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Suzanne Askham 