The real meaning of home

28/09/2012 at 3:02 pm | Posted in Happiness, Meditation, Nature, Wellbeing | 12 Comments
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In our distant nomadic past, home was where we settled for the night: it was shelter, a place we lay down – a place of rest. Recently, on the West Coast of Scotland, I came across a perfect example of home at its simplest. This stone outcrop at Sand provided shelter for our ancestors nearly 10,000 years ago. It was their bedroom, and also their kitchen: there is evidence that they collected limpets from the sea shore and boiled them up in water before eating them.

My daughter led me up and onto the roof of the shelter. “There’s a place I’ve got to show you,” she said. “You’re going to love it; it’s really special.” And she was right. On the heather-clad roof there were several broad stones: slabs of natural paving. One, in particular, was a perfect meditation seat. It was easy to sit there, gaze out to sea and  simply let your thoughts drift into that in-between place – the other realm.

When I did so, I found myself talking to the inhabitants of that time. We weren’t using words, exactly, but we were communicating. To my surprise, I found they were admiring my build: the fact that compared with them I looked immensely well fed. I was aware of their lightness and slimness and superb fitness, and found myself wishing that I exercised more.

Self-acceptance

They were surprised at my lack of self-acceptance on this matter. They reminded me of the goodness of Mother Earth, or the Mother as they called her. She provided what we needed, and it made no sense to disparage her gifts. Abundance was a blessing. Each of us was a creation of the Mother. Each of us was divine. How could we criticise ourselves in that context? Criticism was utterly meaningless.

I actually had the sense they were laughing at me, as if I were a child who didn’t quite understand. And yet there was also respect. It was as if they saw wisdom in me, as I saw wisdom in them. And the wisdom wasn’t individual wisdom; it was collective. We all shared knowledge… and this knowledge was infinite awareness.

And then I understood the true meaning of home. It is unconditional love, and it is acceptance. When you are at home – truly at home –  you are loved, you are accepted. During the many times we find ourselves on our own, we can still feel unconditional love and acceptance towards ourselves. And when we are with others – however distant in terms of culture, or the passage of time – we can feel that exact same connection. As I did on that rock.

Down below, a car horn was sounding. I was being summoned back to the 21st Century. I clambered down the heather slopes, sea breeze in my hair, aware that the bliss I was feeling is our natural birthright.

It’s your birthright; it truly is.

Happiness is being open

27/07/2012 at 6:58 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments
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This week has been all about happiness: pure happiness. My meditation groups have been focusing on the word – they have breathed in “I am”, and breathed out “happiness”. Then, just this morning, I recorded a ‘Happiness’ guided meditation, which I will send out to people when they book a place on my September Intuitive Development course.

One of my favourite intuitive insights from a week of happiness is this: the opposite of happiness is control. 

“Surely the opposite of happiness is unhappiness?” pointed out one guy in a group session.

That’s true, of course. However, consider the happiness levels of a young child. They are not especially in control of their lives. But in any given moment, a child can find happiness in playing with absolutely anything that comes his or her way, whether it be a twig, some earth, or a bowl of water (or even better, all three together).

Consider, in contrast, the last time you organised a fun event, like a party. Did you freely enjoy it, or did you spend a portion of your time worrying about everything that might go wrong?

When we try to control how things will turn out, that’s where unhappiness lies. In contrast, when we open up to life and accept surprises along the way, that’s when we experience happiness.

So after a week of focusing on happiness, have my happiness levels risen? Definitely, by around 100%. There’s been less rushing, and more enjoying the moment. If you haven’t done this already, I warmly recommend it: sit somewhere quietly for 20 minutes or half an hour. Breathe in “I am”, and breathe out “happiness”. And just see where the word takes you.

Answers in the maze

14/08/2011 at 9:00 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
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Old stone walls create a micro-climate.

Someone I love faces a difficult medical decision: accept invasive treatment or follow a more holistic route?

This person looks to me for guidance, and I have none to give. My mind has seized up with indecision. What on earth is the best way forward?

I head to La Seigneurie Gardens on the island of Sark for inspiration. Here, old stone walls create a micro-climate which is surely good for humans as well as plants.

There happens to be a maze in the garden, and I decide to use the maze to help me reconnect with my own inner guidance.

At the entrance to the maze, I ask the question in my mind: surgery, or holistic route?

I become aware of my own fears for this person I love. The fears are frankly getting in the way of guidance. So I consciously put them to one side and hand the question over to the universe, the invisible powers that be. I let go of any attachment to a particular outcome. I know that the person I love will be looked after. I begin to feel calmer.

The first thing that happens is that I get help.

The maze has a small wooden castle right at the centre. Three girls have reached the castle and climbed it. They have a good view of the maze and they shout out instructions to me: “Turn right, turn left; now straight on…

Monsters are usually more scary in our imagination.

“Watch out for the monster around the next bend,” they add. This sounds faintly alarming… until I see the monster. After that, I reach the centre very quickly.

The second thing that happens is that I feel slightly disappointed. Being told exactly how to reach the centre takes away the sense of adventure. It’s actually fun to take a wrong turn and then discover the way forward.

The third thing that happens is that I decide to explore the maze for myself. Deliberately, I go the wrong way, again and again. And guess what I find out?

There is more than one route through the maze. Actually, there are several – including some natural gaps in the hedges.

The fourth thing that happens is that my head clears and I can see the way forward for the person I love.

The three girls are like the medics: they have found a route through the maze, and they want to help others follow exactly their path. In fact, the girls are so persuasive, when you follow their instructions it can seem that theirs is the only way forward.

But life is simply not like that. There are always more options available and the right one for you is the one that feels right.

The monster can show us the riches of our soul.

And the monster in the maze? Well, in dreams the monster frequently represents some aspect of ourselves that we have walled off, believing it’s not acceptable. But when we face the monster, we discover it’s not nearly as bad as we feared. It just wants to be listened to, and then it will transform.

So the monster is a reminder of the more feared aspects of our own psyche… aspects that can contain the riches of our soul.

As I leave the garden I know exactly the guidance I will give the person I love and, if they choose, they can repeat the same words to their persuasive medics:

“There is more than one route through the maze.”

 

 

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