Autumn Equinox blessings
It is the Autumnal Equinox tomorrow (Saturday) and still the sun shines! In Paganism this is known as Mabon. Like with the Spring Equinox, we have a time of equal day and equal night. However after tomorrow, the days grow shorter and the sun begins to wane in its power.
A few weeks ago I was quite daunted by this process and yet now, having gone through this period of "change" with much awareness on my mat (and in life generally), I am really quite looking forward to the colder and darker days ahead to retreat and snuggle down in front of the fire, preparing and eating deliciously tasty ans warming soups and generally slowing the pace of life down a little after the activities of summer.
Mabon is also known as the harvest home and basically marks the end of the agricultural year. Now all the crops will have been gathered (we are almost there) and preserving and storing for winter is a priority. I must admit even I have gotten into the spirit of this this year, even if it is simply a matter of roasting down tomatoes, liquidising and then freezing for the winter ahead!!
The leaves have turned colour, some to rust and brown before they fall from the trees and then you have the marvellous copper beeches, which glow copper in this wonderful Autumnal light. We still have flowers in the garden, I am very proud of the ones I planted from seed this year, many were eaten by slugs but some have survived. Astors I think. I am blown away by one of the purple ones we have in the front garden, it has over 16 flowers on it - imagine the energy that when into growing all those twelve flowers, well done little plant I say!!
So tomorrow I shall be celebrating the Autumnal Equinox in my own way. Firstly to give thanks for all our blessings and achievements and second, to project the ability to manifest that which we possess. After all it does no good to manifest a goal if you cannot hold onto it. You see ideally at this time of year, the goal you set yourself at the start of the year should have manifested or be well within your reach.
Indeed it is incredible how life does unfold for it has been abundant recently as a few new opportunities have presented themselves after a few months of letting go (never an easy process) to make room for the new to enter (after all the new cannot enter however much you wish, pray and envision, until you have created the space for it to enter by letting go of thos old emotions, mental conditioning, behavioural patterns that no longer serve you), so there is every reason to give lots of thanks, every day for that matter, and maintain a positive presence. So blessings all the way.
I have been fortunate to manage a swim in the sea most mornings this week, high tide at Petit Bot has been a delight. And this has been proper swimming too so that I can't wait to get in a hot shower by the time I get home! Incredibly invigorating, so too my more traditional Hatha self-practice of later. I am not sure if it is coincidence, because it could also be due to the fact that I have taken joy in cooking meals from scratch this week (no idea where on earth the passion and inspiration for cooking has just come from but I shall embrace it all the way!) but I have had much more energy than I have had all summer, or so it feels.
There is a lot to be said for that slower, more prana focused Yoga practice, so too a prana filled and fuelled meal, prepared with love and fresh vegetables, let alone when one turns a corner in one's healing and starts to see the light again. Hoorah, for the world does indeed appear brighter and the possibilities endless. But that is a whole other matter...
For us now, Autumnal Equinox, take a walk outdoors, go sit in nature and give thanks for the blessings of the Universe, for the food we eat, the air we breathe, for the capacity to love and for all our friends and family. There is much to celebrate indeed.
With love
xx
Sunflowers and Yoga fun!
Well I have woken feeling energised, clear and indeed positive for the week ahead and I can't help thinking that this is due to a wonderful traditional Yoga intensive yesterday.
Wow, what a morning as 24 students came together to immerse themselves in the beautiful light Yoga energy. We began with some pranayama to centre, calm and begin the cleansing process, followed by a traditional asana class with lots of poses to release blockages within the energy body as well as detoxifying the physical body, bring more flexibility to the spine and thus clarity and calmness to the central nervous system and releasing stiffness from the joints.
Then we sat and chanted like I have never sat and chanted in Guernsey before. Wow!!! AUM, the primordial sound of the Universe, my gosh, it sounded like we had a choir in the room, in fact I even found myself moving my hands as if I was conducting as we quietened the sound at the end of the practice. And then we sat. So peaceful, throat chakras buzzing, silence, energy vibrating, cells healing. Bliss!!
I then led everyone through a Yoga Nidra, hopefully it was profound on some level, as it always tend to be for me - a resolve in Yoga Nidra tends to manifest in life generally, it is a powerful practice.
I had bought my Buddha along with me as a representation of the peace and harmony that resides within each and every one of us. People brought offerings so that the Buddha looked rather lovely. Photo to follow hopefully.
On Saturday E and I went along to the Sunflower maze at the Saumarez Park walled garden bit. Wow amazing, so many beautiful sunflowers and such a great idea.
We managed swims in the sea each day at Petit Bot, I would love to say it feels warm but alas I am finding it cold and not so pleasant these days! Good to wake you up and cleanse however. We managed a walk out at Petit Bot on the cliffs too, beautiful as ever, especially with the autumnal colours and the blackberries starting to come through - late this year.
I must admit I am loving autumn now I have accepted the change of season. I made my first batch of autumnal soup yesterday, an immune boosting one, yum, yum. Autumn solstice soon,and then we start to see the change in this lovely late summer sunshine and warmth. Time for the boots!!
So all in all it has been an invigorating, enlightening and nourishing weekend.
Thank you to everyone who attended the class yesterday, much love and light.
Om shanti.
xx
May all beings have happiness
I managed to catch sunset last Sunday evening, quite spectacular. I just love the light at this time of year, so too the clarity and lightness of the air. We really do need to make sure to ground, otherwise we will be taking off with all that vata - make sure to apply cream to your skin too, it tends to suffer when the air is so light and bright.
I have been reading this fantastic book by Tim Freke about being spiritually awake in the real world. There is this wonderful chapter about meaning and magic, about how one can manifest one's intentions into life. Tim quotes his 8 year old daughter who says:
"Imagination and reality sync together to make one thing. A thought transfers itself to reality. If you transfer your thought from your head to your heart, it comes out as reality...but never quite as your expect".
Wow she is spot on - they must have some interesting conversations over supper in their family!!
We can manifest, there is no doubt about it, but we need to feel it first, from the heart. And yes, it does not always manifest as we intended, that is why they say you should be careful about what you pray for.
Anyhow, I wanted to share this lovely Tibetan Buddhist prayer with you:
"May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all beings never be parted from freedom's true joy.
May all beings dwell in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion".
With love and light,
x
The Blue moon came and went
So the blue moon came and went, bringing with it a healing energy that caused many people to shed tears, weeping away the old to make space for the new. This is most definitely the year of profound change. Even the summer decided to give it a miss this year!!
Interestingly we are now in Virgo season and with this the opportunity to focus on true vocation and life purpose. Virgo is associated with healing, purity and wellbeing, so no wonder we have to go through a process of transformation, for that is the path of healing. This means things may be a little edgy for a while.
Evidently Virgo is also associated with harvesting and the results of what was sown. So this is the time of year where we realise the practical reality of what we sow. if we don't like what we see, then perhaps it is time to give consideration to sowing a different path next year. Interesting to view life in such a manner, that once again we do have some bearing on how things turn out.
Of course often the Universe throws us curved balls and reminds our egos that we are not necessarily in control and we don't always get what we want. At such times it is tough to stick to the age old, "accepting the way things are", "going with the flow", and "trusting in the Universe". Perhaps it is all a matter of faith. Faith in oneself and with the bigger picture that we may not see for years yet.
I have been told that the soul purpose of Virgo is to purify and prepare our physical form so that it is more receptive to light and becomes a suitable vehicle for consciousness. It really is a time to give thought to whether we are fully aligned to our true purpose.
I find these times uncomfortable and yet they bring with them an opportunity to turn within, retreat, be quiet and still and embrace divinity. There are huge changes going on out there, and the focus should be on staying grounded to the earth and within the heart, so that we can ride above the anxiety, worry and anger that comes with such testing times. Yoga, Reiki and meditation can all help enormously, it is so easy to underestimate the support they offer us.
Plus of course there is nature, all is alive and beautiful, brightly coloured flowers fill the garden and there is a lightness in the air that encourages one to get out there and breathe it all in - gardening certainly helps the grounding and loving nature within us all to appear. The sea is warmer too, Petit Bot was a delight yesterday as it was so quiet with all the schools back again.
Happy practicing.
Om Shanti x
Once in a blue moon - this Friday!
Autumn is now in the air, there is no doubting it, I can feel the shift in the temperature and the smell of the air in the mornings, plus the nights are noticeably drawing in. Like every change, it can be a shock to the system and I admit that i do not relish the long cold and dark winter months ahead. Still there is something special about the transition between the seasons and the reminder that nothing stays the same and there is always beauty to be seen!
The sea is wonderfully warm at the moment. Well relatively. I am sure it is much warmer in Australia and the Indian Ocean, but there you go, can't win them all. Still swimming at high tide at Petit Bot is rather special, looking up at the cliffs with all the heathers appearing and if you are really lucky the odd kestrel can be seen.
Talking of which, I went running along the cliffs the other morning, from Icart to Petit Bot and was treated to a fabulous display of 3 buzzards flying in the thermals a little ahead of me the whole way. It was one of those moments when you feel that life has offered you a gift, all to yourself, something that probably won't ever repeat itself but will stick in your memory as being one of those memorable moments.
Memorable moments are all around us if only we stop and look and listen. That is the reason I love Yoga so much, it helps us to slow down and smell the roses, quite literally!!
Talking of smelling the roses, I feel that the full moon due this Friday - a blue moon nonetheless - is really encouraging us to slow down and retreat inside a little, ground, centre and calm for the season ahead. These blue moons are unusual and full of energy. So this Friday perhaps do a little burning bowl ceremony, letting go of things no longer serving you, and encouraging in the new...you'll be amazed of its power, just remember to give thanks to the Goddess of the Moon. Oh and don't forget to cleanse your crystals - and be aware of cleansing yourself too, may be an idea to get your feet in some salted water once you have bathed in the moon's light.
Happy blue moon!!
xxxx
Allow the light to enter
Needless to say after writing my last blog entry last week, cycling through the lanes and lo and behold, there were some swallows flying across my path. Admittedly not as many as there had been a few weeks ago; but swallows nonetheless. It was actually quite interesting for I had just been reading a book about how the mind distorts reality and affects our moods etc. And here was an example presented to me.
For when it seemed that the swallows had left, all of a sudden I felt this sense of loss, a sadness then, that summer was ending. In actual fact the swallows had not left at all. So really my sadness and sense of loss had nothing to do with reality, but only to do with my perceived sense of reality, which was distorted, as it so often is. Of course we only tend to see things from our own perspective and our life is a mirror of those perceptions - we feel sadness, we see sadness, we feel angry, we see anger, we feel happy, we see happiness. And so on it goes. The key of course, if there is such a thing, is to practice mindful kindness and compassion. What a great world for us all to live in if we all practiced mindful kindness and compassion and all we saw was kindness and compassion! Sounds like paradise to me.
It has been a challenging week. In my own life change has been knocking on the door and the new moon certainly spiced that up with some powerful energy to encourage the process. The dust has not settled yet and nor will it for a while, we still have to wane down the season, float a while on this end of summer wave of holidays and ungroundedness, the blue moon due on the 31st August to really stir things up, if they haven't already been stirred up, and then perhaps by the middle of September everything will be clearer and have come together...
In the interim, I am reminded of the love that fills life. The love with one's partner, one's friends, one's family and ultimately for the world as a whole. The highs and lows, the real nitty gritty of what it means to be human, played out in the real world, through our relationships with ourselves, with each other, the whole of humanity. John Lennon wrote the song, "All you need is love" and he was right, that is all you need. We have, of course, lost sight of that these days. Rumi, Hazif, Sa'di, all the mystical poets knew this too. Sa'di wrote this wonderful poem, "One body":
"All human beings
are the members
of one body -
every person is a glint,
shining from a single gem.
When the world causes pain for one member,
how could the other members
ever rest in peace?
If you lack grief
for another one's sorrow,
why call yourself
a human being".
And Rumi, in one of my favourite poems called "Trading in Love's Currency":
Reason said, "We live in a world
of six directions - and that is it!"
Love replied, "There is a path beyond,
and I have travelled it many times."
Reason saw a market and set up shop,
but love trades in another currency altogether."
Sometimes a darkness comes before the light can re-appear again, breaking away the mental patterns that create your sense of reality so that your sense of reality transforms and so your life does too, so life is lighter, brighter, filled with more love, more compassion and more kindness towards the whole of humanity. One has to allow the process its own timing, and its own space, helped hugely with a regular Yoga practice, Reiki, homeopathy and reflexology, even massage therapy. It is all about changing the energy. And it is all about the heart.
So on that note, follow your heart, love yourself and do the things you love and all will be well.
xxxx
Where have the swallows gone?!
There has been something missing on my route through the St Andrew's lanes these last few days - the swallows. Yes, it seems they have moved on. So too the wonderful house sparrow who has been waking me each morning throughout the summer singing his morning chorus. Change.
I can feel it in the air. Autumn is on its way. Endings are never easy. In life generally. And yet there have to be endings to create space for new beginnings. However we do like to resist change. Because change is new and unknown and we would often rather stay in our little comfort zone, even if it is no longer serving us, and heck, even causing us some pain, than let go and move on to new things, often better things.
Yoga can help so much to create this process and indeed to support this process. At its core is its ability to help us to transform ourselves, bring us closer to ourselves and helping us to shed the weight of stuff (the false armour then) we have collected along the road, which no longer (and often never did) add any value to who we are.
Sadly we live in a society where we are always looking for a painless and quick fix solution to changing some element of ourselves or our lives and wondering why it never really lasts. Lots of effort and still we have the same body, the same perspective, the same habits and behaviour patterns. We never really get to the core of it, to the inner block of energy, to the mental construct that has shaped how we now present ourselves with our health issue, our mood swings, our anxiety, depression and constant battle with our weight (see, it is true we are battling always).
So much easier to take to your mat and practice, practice, practice. It may take years, but transformation will come. So that things just naturally drop off, so that you are not even aware that that issue that has been plaguing you for so long has gone. So too that knee issue, that back issue, that inability to sleep, the anxiety, the insecurity all those energetic channels soothed and flowing again. Ultimately we are all energy, manifestations of energy.
I can feel change in my own life, not only have the angel cards made this clear to me, but I am beginning to recognise the signs in my own behaviour patterns when change is afoot, the feeling that your heart is breaking with the loss, and yet now knowing that this is not forever, just a stage, just a day, just a moment, all things pass. So best not to cling on, just go with the flow, take to the mat, enjoy some Reiki and let that layer drop off.
This is really the time of abundance. The greenhouse is packed full of tomatoes and butternut squash and lettuce and soft fruit. Outside we have tons of french beans and peas and so much Swiss chard, why on earth did I think we needed to plant so much in the first place!!! With much gratitude to the sun and the moon, to the rain clouds and the bees, to everything that plays a role in creating such yummy vegetables that appear on my plate each evening!!
It is time to sit and smell the roses, enjoy the garden, swimming in the sea, walking barefoot on the earth and bbqing with friends and family!
With love and gratitude.
xx
Full moon and swallows dancing
It was the full moon last Thursday and what a fine moon it was too, its usual powerful stuff, certainly kept us hanging on until the last minute, so that Friday brought with it a binding of energies and resulting conclusions and clarity. Phew. There will be a second full moon in August on 31 August, a blue moon no less, so hang on tight, this is going to be an interesting 4 weeks ahead.
Friday evening was the last of the Castle Cornet music evenings, which we enjoyed with friends over a civilised picnic in the fresh air. You can't beat that bringing together and sharing of food, sitting on the earth in nature, the high tide surrounding the castle, the sun setting and the moon rising. Once again a time to acknowledge one's blessings. Simply the ability to sit on the earth is a blessing, so many struggle with sore hips and backs and legs. The joy of asana, the ability to sit!
We camped in Herm on Saturday night. Now this is special. I don't know that you can find many camping spots which are so peaceful and offer such fabulous views - for us the northern end of Shell beach and Alderney in the distance. The swallows were out in force, swooping and dancing around the tent and across the field, I could watch them for hours, such grace in their movements.
Needless to say the weather was its usual testing self, one moment bright skies and sunshine, the next rain. Still it is what it is and offers yet another opportunity for mindful acceptance of the present. Herm is of course beautiful, the ideal place to get away from it all, quiet and peaceful with so many beautiful flowers and those wonderful beaches so that we swam lots of times.
It is what it is and what is, is what we make it.
With love,
xx