The Scent of Christmas ~ an aromatic meditation

The Scent of Christmas ~ an aromatic meditation   The sense of smell is closely connected to the area of the brain that processes emotional memories; sometimes memories are very deeply buried and certain scents can awaken those memories. I am also aware that not all buried memories are good ones, which is why for [...]

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Monday Meditation ~ Linden Blossom for Lightness of Heart and Ease of the Soul

Linden Blossom Meditation ~ for Lightness of Heart and Ease of The Soul Background Linden trees (also known confusingly as lime trees despite not being a citrus) are among some of the longer lived native trees, some rivalling yews in reaching vast ages. There are two main species to be encountered in the UK, one [...]

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The Dark Side of the Moon ~ the Pull of Darkness

Tonight in the UK is a total eclipse of the moon, starting around half past six in the evening. I find this sort of event challenging because it makes me think that for every good bright thing there is not only a shadow but a dark side. The dark side of love is hate; the [...]

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Monday Meditation ~ Jasmine, for sensuality and relaxation

Jasmine Meditation You are standing in front of an archway set in a long high wall of mellow old bricks. The archway frames a gate of heavy but plain wood, standing a little ajar, inviting you to investigate. It is twilight and the sky is starting to darken and as the sun slowly sets the [...]

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Meditating With Aromatics ~ A Unique Interactive Project That Grows

Meditating with Aromatics ~ a unique interactive project that grows Over the last year I have published a number of meditations that use fragrance as a starting point and the intention has been to write an entire book of them. After much thought I decided that I would start by making the meditations available during [...]

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The Light of the World by Holman Hunt

I’ve always loved the pre-Raphaelite painters with their richness of colour, texture and mythic themes, not to mention that I would have made a perfect model for them. Holman Hunt’s most famous painting, The Light of the World, is a feast of richness and mystery. The figure is assumed to be Jesus, a very English [...]

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What is Love?

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, [...]

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Slip Slidin’ Away ~ a reflection on a long-ago dream and a melancholy song

   Slip Slidin’ Away ~ a reflection on a long ago dream and a melancholy song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_H-LY4Jb2M I’m not sure when I first heard this Paul Simon song, but it entered my unconscious and stayed there. I was probably about fourteen when the dream occurred. I’d already run away from school and was pretty troubled. [...]

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Easter Day ~ He is Risen and walks among us

 Some years ago while attending an event in Leicester diocese, I saw Jesus walking in the crowds. The man was the actor who plays Jesus in the mystery plays (for more about him see the Being Jesus link) and had a really ineffable quality about him that got me thinking: what if Jesus really did walk [...]

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What makes Good Friday, good?

  What makes Good Friday, good?   Good Friday? What on earth makes such a day good? Celebrating the hideous death of a good man, and the craven flight of his supposedly loyal followers? Or the fact that we at the other side of the story know the ending? Imagine how that day must have [...]

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