There is a famous phrase, attributed to the Sufi tradition: Be in the world but not of it… The sentiment refers to how an individual views their life, and also
Category: spiritual turning around
Nine Keys (7) : Dying for LoveNine Keys (7) : Dying for Love
Inside this new love, die. Your way begins on the other side. Become the sky. Take an axe to the prison wall. Escape. Walk out like someone suddenly born into
Barriers to LoveBarriers to Love
Eight hundred years is a long way to look back and extract meaningful guidance about ‘today’s world’, and yet I can say with honesty that the historical figure whose wisdom
mind: mover of the soul (4) where is the world?mind: mover of the soul (4) where is the world?
Where is the world? Is this a fair question to ask ourselves or some pointless intellectual game? A friend sent me a beautiful piece of writing, created by a Kabbalist
Painting the Universe (1)Painting the Universe (1)
There are some ‘big blocks of colour’ in an understanding of the mystical perspective – which is the inner truth of our lives. Even a cursory examination of these brings
An Artist named GiselleAn Artist named Giselle
Geographically, it’s an unlikely partnership… One person in Victoria, Australia, the other in Cumbria… Giselle Bolotin is an Australian artist, but was born in Europe. She and I have never
the size of lifethe size of life
What size is our life? It’s an odd question, but the kind of challenge that gets us thinking… Does our life have a ‘size’? We can measure it in years
Deportment for the soulDeportment for the soul
He passed me the disc, about the size of a small dinner plate and quite heavy. My hands were full of things needing to go through to the kitchen. There
ChaliceChalice
“Empty your mind… empty yourself…you are nothing and nowhere… just floating in the embrace of the universe…” It is a nice idea and one I have heard at the start
Echoes of the BunkermenEchoes of the Bunkermen
I was born in the 1950s. It was an age riven by anxiety about nuclear war. Ten years after the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been destroyed by
Whitby weekend: Making soul cakes?Whitby weekend: Making soul cakes?
There is more to a Silent Eye workshop than a simple wander in the landscape, but although the shape of the weekend may be carefully crafted, much of what happens
Vexed by the Tribe 2 – the fabrication of complexityVexed by the Tribe 2 – the fabrication of complexity
We’re visiting relatives. It’s friendly. We have a light meal and some cake to follow. But then someone mentions Brexit and a cold frost descends on the room… My wife
Vexed by the TribeVexed by the Tribe
I am vexed… It’s a word you don’t hear much, now. Old English, I believe. It describes an agitated state of mind – and possibly body – when something nagging
Primal ScreenPrimal Screen
Somewhere in the frontal cortex of our brains there’s a very special junction – a place where we learned to do something truly different with our minds… Let’s call it
The Way to Dusty Death?The Way to Dusty Death?
We were in Ulverston, Dean and I. We’d just climbed the famous ‘Hoad’ – a tall monument on the top of a tall hill that looks like a lighthouse… but
Gilgamesh descending (9)- final partGilgamesh descending (9)- final part
And now you will want an ending… Like day gives way to night, though there is no single point where we could all agree that it was either… Like the
Gilgamesh descending (5)Gilgamesh descending (5)
And now we must move swiftly, as the king’s heartbeat quickens with purpose. Again, he watches the Fate Dancers… and begins to see the depths of what they do. These
Gilgamesh descending (2)Gilgamesh descending (2)
I enter the temple at the head of the twin columns of the Dancers of Fate. Those of the kingdom enter behind their King in silent reverence as we pass
The spiritual minefieldThe spiritual minefield
“’Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought,’” said my son, reading out the daily inspirational quote he has delivered to
Birds eye viewBirds eye view
There must have been thirty starlings, mainly youngsters, in the garden at my son’s home today. The great tits and blue tits are very tame and happy to peck away
Why not?Why not?
Have you ever taken one of the innumerable personality tests that are out there these days? I took a fair number of them as part of some research when we
Going west – An uneasy peaceGoing west – An uneasy peace
Where do you begin when you have to write about a cathedral? Each chapel, every corner, every nook and cranny is replete with art and history. The sensory input is