a time for balance

22/09/2012

On the day of the equinox, the day and night are perfectly balanced. And so, today, I am reminded that balance in all aspects of life is a healthy way to be in the world. This is the basis of Gautam Buddha’s teaching of the “middle way”.

The challenge of remaining balanced is, for me, particularly strong during this period of my life. Working here in Kuwait, helping to extract oil from the world’s second largest oil field, is stimulating to the mind and fulfilling to the bank account. However, I feel to maintain connection with my friends from Western and Indian spiritual circles. This also helps me to be present to my own spiritual essence.

At the moment, this balancing act involves rather more airports and flights than I would normally wish for. There goes that oil I’m helping to extract!

The theme of balance also reminds me that the book The Divine Dance in the Sacred Landscape of Britain, by Frances Lewis and Adelina Abad-Pedrosa, has been published.

be careful what you wish for

06/08/2012

If you have followed the teachings on this website, you will know that there is something of a pagan in me. And as with all pagans, the sun is very important to me. Every day I have the awareness of how dependent we all are on the energy of the sun, without which there would be no life here on Earth. Furthermore, my mood is linked to the weather, above all else. On sunny days I am happy, on cloudy days subdued.

For a few years now, I have offered gratitude and encouragement to the sun with a little puja, or ritual at sunrise:

Thank you Sun, for coming to warm and light this day;

Please do so splendidly, if you will.

And at sunset:

Thank you Sun, for warming and lighting this day (so splendidly);

Please come again tomorrow, if you will.

I guess the energy in these little ceremonies must have built up somewhere in the universe because now I find myself living in a part of the world where the sun shines almost every day, where it almost never rains, and where the summer temperatures often reach 50C. Perhaps it is time I began to do pujas for clouds and rain!

hiatus or quietus?

18/11/2011

If you are a regular visitor to this website, you might have noticed that things have gone rather quiet over the last few weeks. The reason is simple: I woke up one morning and there was no longer any energy in me for adding material to the site. After recording and publishing hundreds of teachings here, that flow of creative energy disappeared as suddenly and mysteriously as it had arisen, a year ago.

I have no idea whether this is a little hiatus – no more than a temporary pause – or a conclusion to these teachings. Has my quietus come in this regard? I know not.

For now, I shall tidy up the site a little and leave it in a dormant state. If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to listen to all the audio teachings: they carry more energy than this blog.

Above all, enjoy your journey.

one last cup of tea

23/10/2011

I had forgotten the extent to which reiki initiations can stir the soup of life. Last weekend’s Reiki 1 course, so beautiful, has reminded me. Even before the course, some emotional energy was arising in me. That was nothing compared to the last few days, during which I have found myself in a different emotional space every day, sometimes feeling strong, sometimes fragile. Yesterday, for example, a deep sadness pervaded my being. And when I woke up this morning, the following poem came to me. When I read it to a friend, tears came welling up from somewhere unknown in me. Since then, I have felt cleansed and calm and the colours of nature have been brighter and even more beautiful than before. I love reiki!

You can also listen to me reading the poem, from the readings page accessed at the bottom of the audio page.

One last cup of tea

Enough mountains have I climbed

Though none were an Everest

Yet splendid were they all

Great vistas they gave

To one who sought the horizon

Enough work have I done

Though no limelight did it bring

Yet contribute I did

Giving whatever there was

That was asking to be given

Enough women have I loved

Though never the dream romance

Yet each a meeting of two souls

Sharing moments of beauty

Before passing on their ways

Enough have I searched

Though frustration was the prize

Yet in that total failure

Lay a precious gemstone

The purity of being

Enough have I taught

Though not a word of Truth

Yet always sharing wisdom

Helping others to find

That which cannot be spoken of

Enough miles have I walked

Though I find myself where I began

Yet each step has carried me

Taking me further and higher

Into the adventure of life

And now it only remains to me

To drink one last cup of tea

And rest

when the path is a struggle

02/10/2011

I am walking in the hills and along the coast of Liguria, in Italy. A couple of days ago, I woke up near a small, rather remote village, not much frequented by tourists. I took a look at the map and set off on what seemed like a promising path.

I had only been walking for five minutes when the path degenerated into an overgrown animal track. I persevered, seeing the woodland ahead where I thought the going might get easier. My optimism was unwarranted though. Amongst the trees, brambles had taken over, scratching at my legs as I forced my way through them.

Then the path turned uphill. Oftentimes I found myself faced with a steep earthy embankment with no sign of steps or anything to cling to. At other times, fallen trees blocked my way. The air was thick with spider webs. And the brambles continued unabated. I felt as if I were the first human to pass this way.

I had a long walk ahead, until the next village and the next source of water. I had assumed that the walking would be easier than this. If it continued in the same style, I would still be fighting long after nightfall. I began to wonder whether I should abandon the craziness and retrace my steps.

I can be rather stubborn at times though, and a physical challenge can still bring out a brutal determination in me. And anyway, I couldn’t face going back down through all those brambles. So I continued.

After about an hour of this self-inflicted torture, the hint of a track which I was following met with another, well-used path. Suddenly, hell turned into heaven. A beautiful walking path continued up through pristine forest, without a single bramble or fallen tree to obstruct the way. My journey became effortless and thoroughly enjoyable.

All of this reminded me of the early years of my spiritual journey. Everything was so much of a struggle in those days. There were obstacles everywhere and nothing seemed to flow smoothly. Then, one day, a decade ago, when my effort had reached an unbearable intensity, without warning it all changed.

And since that day, life has been essentially effortless, and thoroughly enjoyable.

melting away

02/09/2011

The sky has been clear overnight and the morning air is still. Everything feels cool and crisp, fresh and clean. The clarity and stillness of the world penetrates my being. In this silent space, the boundary between me and the other simply melts away.