Searching for a self-seeded conifer on the woodland margins, I realised that the ‘perfect’ tree is an illusion. We cannot define the ideal tree by its balance and dimensions because this replicable approach is unreal. Each tree grows where it is planted or seeded. It responds to its total environment in a way that shapes … Read more
The thing about echo chambers is that they are predictable. After a while, we know what will come next. Yet that familiarity can become comfortable. We know where we are, or at least think we are. Until we realise that this isn’t reality. And then we have a choice.
When you look at a friend: what do you see? Do you notice their stature or how they have their hair? Is it their clothes that draw your attention? Or is it something else? Something that expresses their essence, their wholeness, with the tone of the present showing up in the way they hold themselves … Read more
Have you noticed? Often our significant questions invite us to sit with them for a while. Yet we’re in such a hurry. We’ve become conditioned to believe that questions need clear answers. Now. But how would we know we’re looking at it the wrong way round, upside down, or back to front? Indeed what if … Read more
How we describe what we observe and feel reinforces what we think we see. Because ultimately, we can’t ‘see’ everything. For example, our colour perception as human beings is only within a limited range, unlike many non-human beings, who see much more than we do. So our words are significant shapers of how we interpret … Read more
Words shape us. They are our tools to describe, define and communicate. Both to ourselves and to each other, sometimes as weapons yet often as a gift. Our particular culture’s words frame how we see, think, and feel. And to a large extent, it determines how we react. So how can we transform our world … Read more
Is there beauty in dark places? In the worn-out, torn down recesses where truth has been trampled? Perhaps it depends on what we think we are looking for and which eyes we are using. Because hidden inside is always life, and life is magnificent. Beauty likes neglected places … In its real sense, beauty is … Read more
Like the seasons, journeys are made up of multiple cycles, strung together in a continuous unfolding. Sometimes we’re conscious of the overarching shape or intent. While at other times, we’re caught up in the detail of the immediate. Yet, it’s the same journey. Today, we’re in Welsh mist and can’t see much at all…
We’ve all had those experiences of earnestly searching for something we’ve lost, only to find it right in front of us. Not seeing for looking. The other day my second lesson from clearing the thistles felt like this. In endeavouring to gather all the flowering stems along a track by the lake, I walked with … Read more
Back in the day, when we went shopping and were viewing options but weren’t ready to buy, we used to say ‘just looking’ when the eager sales assistant approached. Yet when was the last time we really looked at something. Not stuff to purchase, but the world we live in. When was the last time … Read more