Arriving late morning on a public holiday and having had barely an hours sleep the night before we are all a little frazzled but nonetheless excited. Pushing ourselves to make use of the rest of the day we stride into Rome with little appreciation of what we were missing. The dreary confines of our exhaustion leaves little room for the beauty and the crowds out to appreciate their holiday seem too much to cope with. The struggle to make sense of a 3d film, adding nausea into our conundrum, leaves us more dejected than we would like, disbelieving that the city could hold any magic for us.
Woken by the morning sun streaming through the window as the street below, now sleepy and quiet, wilfully struggled to open its eyes, last nights cacophony from Rome’s insomniacs is but a mere recollection as we prepare for our adventure.
Having bought some ‘pane’ and croissants from a local baker we set off to explore. The streets mysteriously reveal their secrets to us as we wind our way through the heart of Italy’s most precious treasures. Stopping frequently to take snaps of our discoveries we are soon overawed with Rome’s charm. The beauty of the river Tiber flowing indiscriminately between the bridges is a delight to behold and the horse drawn chariots atop Vittoriano (Victor Emmanuel’s Monument) dance irreverently above the trees like a modern Father Christmas, out to distribute its views.
Seduced into a piazza we are soon drinking coffee and marvelling at the magical transformation that has befallen us through the night before taking our leave of Italy’s most infamous preoccupation and fall upon Portico D’Ottovia and the Teatro di Marcello - Theatre of Marcellus. The two thousand year old theatre, now one of Rome’s most ancient relics, opens our eyes to the mystical brilliance of the archaeological arches and pillars and walls, whilst wistfully wishing poppies bend flexibly amid the stones.
Approaching the Vittoriano we can’t help but be impressed by its vastness and height. A monstrous marble monument, modern in terms of Rome’s heritage, looks somewhat out of place amid the romantic ochre’s of Italy and will always stand out as a bit of an impostor and yet the spectacle that it gives is nonetheless quite unique. The views from its heights allows us a panoramic vista above the rooftop gardens and clay tiled roofs that I will never tire of with the backdrop of hills and mountains snuggling us within a comforting time warp.Encouraged off the tourist trail we seep down a less inviting route to come upon a pizzeria and order a satisfying but typically calorific meal. My initial concerns to an expanding waistline get predictably ignored as we relish the delicacies before we once again prepare to further unravel the historic heritage of the hidden city that lies between the seven hills. Coming upon the Coliseum are hopes aren’t disappointed as we are expertly guided through a maze of stories about gladiators and roman’s alike, out to impress and entertain their countrymen. The barbaric attacks on human rights are as confused in that time as they are today. The matter of destroying many animals in the process of entertainment goes to show how thoughtless and violent the times really were.
Once saturated with the Roman way we take a respite and watch pigeons vie for out attention in the hope of a crumb or two. The heat which has been glaringly responsive up until then starts to ease its focus and leaves us a little cooler as we walk up the hill. Dropping into Carcere Mamertino, The Manertime Prison where legend dictates that Saints Peter and Paul were detained, we enter a circular lower room where the sense of despondency hangs gloomily from the stone blocks, a far cry from the barbarism we had just been hearing about moments before, but nonetheless stiflingly relevant. Popping into a gift shop we shudder at the cost of triviality as we individually mull over our day.
Our evening meal in a trattoria is both restorative and enjoyable and as we walk contently back with sleep on our mind, the locals, who wish to abuse the silence of night, come out to play.
Gone are the days when people were filled with trust and hope, unable to comprehend a sagging economy; now sadly replaced with the depths of financial entrenchment and the stresses involved in its untimely misery. Not many of us can say that we have not already been touched by the burning sear of the branders mark from its recent appearance. All too soon, those of us with little in the way of cash will feel the depths of its pinch, every decreasing our sense of equanimity and self worth.
It’s been many a year since our community has needed to be so resourceful; to stretch beyond the normal limits that human nature dictates and develop ingenuity. The time has come when we need to bolster our flagging souls and make sure that the route we choose is with consideration and intention to be positive and of purpose. Should we leave it peppered with confusion and self doubt there is no other option but to bring harm upon ourselves.
I would like to show you the long and windy path to a destination far greater than financial acumen. No doubt we will all need to change our perspective to money in order to achieve this, as greed is tantamount to disrespecting ourselves. We all deserve better than that, we need to develop trust that we don’t need financial beckoning to be spiritually balanced.
Make a decision to become a wealthier person - not in a financial way I hasten to add, but by encompassing your true worth in every thought and action. Shake the shackles of past injustice and learn to bow; adjust incorrect thinking patterns with new designs; be wholly inventive - take a chance in life, for we all want to be different. Place both feet firmly on the ground and start to notice the beauty around you, in the food you eat, in the small comments and gestures that often get forgotten or unheard. Have your wealth measured by your actions and not by some material affluence; see your value as more important than your bank balance, and by shifting your opinion you will automatically become richer. God Bless
As the wind buffets my home this evening, I am reminded that the breath of God is our divine connexion. For some it may not be apparent, but I promise it is true. It is down to each one of us to notice the caressing breeze as we work through our own prospects and perspectives, encouraging warmth and love along the way. But for those who are unable to instantly feel that connexion, do not despair, the hand of God, no matter your age, nationality or creed is always welcoming.
Today has been a mixture of emotions for me ranging from hope and love to exhaustion and despair. I can’t remember a day such as this when all that I thought I believed in and the depth of the work I have done on myself seems to have gone out of the window. My faith had been shaken and it has been disconcertingly unsettling. The pointers have been there but my self indulgence to grief temporarily blinkered me. I feel very strongly that I have been going through a test and I am now at the starting point of a new way of life. I can’t quite determine how that will be but my confidence in God and all He stands for is, thankfully, very much part of me again. I learn from all the errors in the past with trust that whoever may judge me here on earth, God above is judgeless.
The eyes, being the window to the soul, is a beautiful analogy of how we are. To throw away our resolve, to throw caution to the wind, is a foolish and somewhat careless activity, that once done, leaves us exposed, vulnerable and blind to reality. The emptiness and sadness of loosing this link to God is beyond comprehending and I am so pleased that the storm, banging against my window, has finally woken me up.
Make a determined effort to strengthen your link so that God, in all his many guises, doesn’t have to wake you up with a storm battering on your window! God bless.
Not many of us could have failed to notice the sub zero temperatures over these last few days. It has been a firm reminder that, contrary to common opinion, we are still able to have one or two cold snaps through our winters.
This leads me on to a far more tragic circumstance where grief, in its varied contradictions, can result in our heart and emotions being frozen for a spell or, in extreme circumstances, the rest of our lives. This is when the knowledge of our loved ones new location in a spiritual realm can be a little too hard for us to handle.
I would like to take you on a journey of self discovery where once you experience the exhilarating effect you will be much more ready to let your loved ones move on with their journey. We were all once of the spiritual realm where to experiment and develop was our soul purpose. Once we returned back to earth we temporarily forgot this aim, content to play with the new life we had got. But in the big scheme of things, to assimilate and reflect on the lessons taught is a great ability, and one which we all must achieve if we are to make the most of our time on earth.
In my family our lives have been fragmented and decimated by the hand of grief. We have been traumatically expended by its power and yet in some corner of it all, I can still see the glow of hope as it reaches out to us. We have not been able to acclimatise quickly to this new depth of understanding death has requested of us, but we will, with courage and confidence - and a little time- manage to resurrect our path and continue along it with greater compassion and wisdom for others.
This untimely end to a young and dear friend has opened up a whole host of queries and arguments that have been with us all since time in memorial. It is just that when we are content with our own journey we are forgetful of the grand scheme of things. We are happy to burble along like a babbling brook until the log jam in the river redirects or stagnates our route, and this is something we need to be wary about. To be repositioned or stilted is a curse at times and extremely painful in the process. Let us all take a long hard look at who we believe is responsible for this, for in time, when we have exposed the common errors to living, we will all have a brighter, more optimistic attitude to life.
In the coming months I plan to bring you many of the lessons that I have learnt to help you in your own suffering and frustration. I don’t pretend to understand it all or to have all the answers, but I do believe that with an open heart and mind we will all benefit greatly by the honest and courageous investment self development brings. God Bless.
It is with great excitement and with some trepidation that I propose that the first blog on the website for 2009 is a prediction, as it is an auspicious year that we enter upon. And yet how can we know it from where we are, standing at the starting line? I ask for your resilience in seeing through a testing time with the utmost resolve to be different, changed from the masses, determined to follow your own self development.
Should you see red, think of roses and love. Should the blue hue of depression and coldness hover above, rebound with the pure intention to develop intuitiveness. If all around you is a swirling mass of the yellow coward, make the decision to be more loyal to yourself, and hence God, by not getting sucked into the array by simply remaining in control of your love and emotions.
The world as a whole is suffering immensely and you can do your bit by not being overly dramatic or by counting the loss. It will get you nowhere and others will perceive you as no different. What we want is to start a swell of positive emotions, where what one person says or does has a direct influence on those around them. It may seem an insignificantly small gesture to make when the world, and this country in particular, is plunged into disparaging worries and debt, but take it as a positive adjustment for us to get back on track to a more harmonious future.
We all have our role to play in the year ahead, where our test is to cope through these difficult months. How we show our resolve to let go of pettiness, abandon greed and sway more to generosity will reflect directly on us. For those who care about the losses, the debt will be the greatest. But for those who determine to be prosperous amidst financial restraints, welcoming grace, loyalty and compassion as the rewards rather than monetary remuneration, then the recompense will be abundance.
Give of yourself to others in all situations. Don’t stipulate a price for self development, there is no gain that way, but be sure of honesty in your intentions, for what lies in your heart is what is heard by God.
God Bless and I hope this year brings you great wonders.
Do you remember the Christmas’s when, no matter what was on your wish list, any gift or kindness was always enough. To turn your hand in the kitchen when the dinner was being cooked was considered good manners, and to walk off a huge and satisfying lunch was pure enjoyment, bonding family and friends in an inexplicable time warp before speeding off once again when the festive period was over.
I wish to remind you of the purpose of this festivity as not only Jesus Christ’s birthday but as something far more important. This is a time of unique importance that comes once a year and binds us in a stream of present giving, good wine and rich foods. It does not need to be purely about self importance and gaining the best gifts. It needs to be recognised as a period of self giving, exorcising greed and indulgence.
More often than not our present buying overwhelms us, sending us in a whirlwind of frustrating comparisons and high expenditure. What more could you have got for Uncle Benjamin besides the book, the slippers and his favourite tipple. Our gifts have on the whole got extortionately expensive. The token gifts that we constantly refer to ends up being larger, whilst our children’s resolve to get the latest Nintendo or Wii machine leaves us out of pocket. Time and again we curse the high expenditure, making promises of keeping it cheaper next year, only to allow the same calamitous expectations to intercede once again.
Let us all take a breather from this mayhem and determine to make one small difference this year. Maybe we could be less indulgent in what we eat, or make our own special cards for close family and friends. A few well chosen and meaningful words are worth so much more than a glossy present. A sentiment lasts a life time whilst often the gift is forgotten within weeks. Help someone less fortunate than yourself without expecting acknowledgement, or spend an afternoon helping a friend with something they find difficult. Send a prayer or thought to those in need and make a promise to be more compassionate.
These little steps to create a kinder world will magnify in importance if we allow them to. Watch as our world improves as others take notice and copy our gestures. Nothing goes unnoticed; someone will always be observant or grateful. Trust in our own capabilities to be more giving of ourselves and more endearing to others without spending money. We will feel altogether more spiritual adjusted and connected with our God. God bless and glad tidings to you all.
We all come to a period in our lives when friendly advice and helpful efforts to motivate us crosses the boundary of acceptability and becomes more of a curse to us than others had intended. We learn that not only are we aware of our own limitations but of others expectations and wants. It clouds our judgements and can be positively detrimental to our progress, blocking our paths and hampering our success to self recognition.
These times are sent to us as a trial, a way we can test our progress and resolve, confirming success or creating doubts. There is no point in getting upset when others pinpoint our lack of progress, blaming our moods or hot-headed traits as being the fault. We need to work it out for ourselves using a methodical approach and not allow others to lay claim to our progress.
I have been tested much like this in recent months and I can’t say that I performed well. I took umbrage at the regular pokes and the unremitting criticisms. No matter how much I tried to take the comments well, something deep inside me just couldn’t accept the on-going faults that were being thrust in my face. It takes immense courage and self respect to be balanced enough to not feel attacked or maligned at times like these, and for me it confirmed that I still had a lot of work to do on myself.
So as a result I took this sabbatical and have tried on a regular basis to improve my position, ever hopeful of drawing nearer to neutrality. I am still a long way off and may not achieve what my heart is set on in this lifetime, but I will work hard to try and attain it and in the process the lack of self motivation that has hampered me in the past will become less of an issue. I will no longer need a friendly reminder to highlight my lack of progress or have areas shown to me as being obviously in need of improvement. I will be confident of my approach and will happily digest any help that may be offered in the hope that my dream, to be neutral and balanced, will become a reality. God bless.
I was watching a program tonight, something I rarely do but felt drawn to turn the television on, and the message that came through to me was just how simple and rewarding forgiveness is. Amid all the trials of everyday life, we stomp around without the slightest perception of how powerful forgiving truly is. It is the most universally acceptable way to help one another as well as help ourselves. Racing around full of hate and anger is all very well in fiction, but where does that leave us in real life?
We need to acknowledge the synchronicity of this program and show the world as a whole that we can be above the performance, for that is all it is. This may sound a little idealistic, and I suppose to some extents it is, but how about we all try out the theory. To revel in our lot, scared to become noticed is just a motive for not facing the truth. We all need to recognise this so that we can move forward as more stable individuals.
Next time you feel some angst with a loved one, hear them out and then forgive not only yourself but them. Watch the reaction and the change of expression as you say the words with true conviction from the heart. See beyond the pettiness of the issue and send love as you unfold a greater power within yourself. It is truly dynamic. God bless.
Expectations can be a curse to our lives. They build us up and slay us without a thought or care as to the damage it does to us on an emotional level. Today, I have been exposed to this where, not only my own expectations have been dashed, but so have my daughters. This has, on a scale of one to ten, simmered only on the one or two, however it has shown me where there is a gap in my own armour, where my ego and wish to succeed has superseded my will to be neutral.
This brings me on to a far more serious prospect, where self importance accentuates our actual meaning for an action, leaving us vulnerable to expectations.
Expectations to most of us means the anticipation of something coming up, an event of some sort; or refers to what is expected of us, a level or workmanship or accord. But I am guilty of laying on others my wish to be seen as professional; I put my best effort in all that I do without always considering the ramifications. If I were to be less stringent with my self, I would have seen that the need to give my all on every occasion is not necessary, and is far from being balanced. It promotes disappointment as you cannot achieve continuously to such a high standard without tripping over a hurdle occasionally. To remain balanced and hence consistent, is a far more comfortable and natural stance to take, it enables us to deal with disappointment brought on through high expectations.
So, in the future I will give my best without being unbalanced. I will appreciate that others lay less importance on things that I see as valuable. There is no punishment greater in a sense than what you give yourself. My dreams of how things should be are a mere fractal, a resonance of the bigger picture, and I will allude to that in the future. God Bless
On this rather cold and, dare I say it, wintery afternoon my daughter asked if I would like to go shopping with her. It was a totally unexpected pleasure and, as much as I would have liked to get on with some writing, I wanted to spend some time with her. She had unfortunately been involved in a car accident some days before, which had served as a sharp reminder of how vulnerable we all are.
We walked around happily glancing at odd clothes begging to be bought, but resisted their temptations. We stopped for a coffee and chatted about her friends before my daughter quite suddenly said ’What is Halloween?’ I tried to explain, in my very limited ability, about how the veils between this world and the spirit world were considered to be thin at this time of year, allowing spirits to gain entry. She listened for a while before she quite emphatically said that I sounded mad. Used to this kind of comment from her, I gentle went on to remind her that not so long ago, before she chose to shut out this gift, she could see souls waiting to continue on with their journey.
It made me realise that no matter how ‘normal’ many traditions are, there is always that different perspective. We have happily fallen into the tradition of dressing up and trick-or-treating. It is fun and a little scary for some to believe that spirits, ghosts and witches run riot tonight, but with a more level headed approach it is totally feasible. Let us not suppose that this is all for menace, there are after all many good souls on the other side that are there to assist us. Let as hope that this coming together on the eve of All Saints Day, a catholic festival, is a firm reminder that we all, in whatever capacity we chose, have a sense of incredulity towards spirits.
So for now I respectfully challenge all non believers in the spirit world, that no matter your perspective, just a little bit of you wants to believe in the supernatural aspect of Halloween. God Bless
