Signs and songs

Simplicity is the character of the spring of life, costliness becomes its autumn; but a neatness and purity, like that of the snow-drop or lily of the valley, is the peculiar fascination of beauty, to which it lends enchantment, and gives what amiability is to the mind. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The appearance of Lily of the Valley indicates winter is over. Imported from Japan in the middle ages, it has a history of tradition and symbolism.

Christians believed the small tear dropped shaped flowers represented Eve’s tears at being ejected from the garden of Eden or Mary’s shed at the crucifixion. Thus the flower is symbolic of motherhood, humility, and virtue. Some believe the flowers came about from the drops of blood shed by a dragon slain by Saint Leonard thereafter they were deemed a good luck charm.  Fairies are said to drink from their cups and in return protect gardens from evil spirits.

In the 1500’s King Charles IX was gifted a Lily of the Valley on May 1. He liked the flower so much the tradition spread and is upheld even today as a wish for luck and prosperity.

In Victorian times it symbolised a ‘return to happiness’ either in happy memories, coming to terms after mourning, or starting over. Receiving a bouquet meant “you have made my life complete” and has been used in wedding bouquets including Kate Middleton, Princess Grace and Queen Victoria.

Lily of the Valley is a member of the asparagus family; and even though all parts of the flower including the leaves and stems are poisonous the plant was used during WWI to treat soldiers exposed to poison gas, heart disorders, UTIs, epilepsy, kidney stones and burns. Its scent contains Borgeonal known to increase fertility in humans.  Also Lily of the Valley was the primary scent in Diorissimo and was Christian Dior’s favourite flower adorning his personal stationary and lapels.

Until spring comes, nightingales do not sing. Azerbaijani Proverb

In Celtic lore the lily of the valley fell in love with a nightingale.  When the bird migrated the flower would wither and die only to bloom again in the spring upon its return.  Celts believed the markings on the birds throats protected against evil spirits. While the Irish believe that a nightingale is a sign of good fortune when heard in one’s own home.

The nightingale is sovereign of song. Edmund Spenser

The song of the male (females are mute) nightingale has been described as one of the most beautiful sounds in nature. This shy, nocturnal bird is associated with creativity, nature’s purity and goodness.

In Greek mythology nightingales were the messengers of Hera, the queen of all the gods and goddesses. She was so moved by their song she placed them among the stars for all eternity.

This week I felt the lessons of the lily and nightingale were particularly apropos.  The simple flower representing a return to happiness – no masks, restaurants full and tour groups on the rise. While It is modes of the nightengale not to require anyone to listen to it; but it is also proud of the nightungale not to care whether anyone listens to it or not Soren Kierkegaard.

With a light heart I invite you to  Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like it's heaven on earth. - Mark Twain.

Please remember me

Nearly 100 years ago today Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne was published. Milne wrote that a writer wants something more than money for his work: he wants permanence. Through his characters we are reminded of simple truths.
 
On Life
Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved. Pooh
When all else fails take a (gong) nap. Pooh

On love
You do not spell love, you feel it. Pooh 

On oneself
You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. Christopher Robin
 

Promise you won’t forget me ever?  Christopher Robin

How could we?

Life, Art, Imitation, Inspiration

Last year Getty Museum issued a challenge to recreate a masterpiece using three items from your home. Some entries took the challenge literally. Others took inspiration. Bored Panda shared winners here

In life too often we settle for imitation. It may be the sincerest form of flattery according to Oscar Wilde. But it stifles creativity, is the lazy option, is risk free and leads to a life less lived.

A documentary on the mating practices of birds reinforces the need for daring to be different. The female chooses the male whose song, display, dance or nest building is clearly above and beyond those of his peers. In him she perceives the intelligence, strength and determination that will produce viable healthy offspring. In other words, daring can lead to success.

To 'exist' means to live especially under adverse conditions and stems from 'to step forth, to stand out'.

This week ….
Why fit in when you were born to step out? Dr. Seuss
Because
Tis better to live your own life imperfectly than to imitate someone else's perfectly. Elizabeth Gilbert
It isn't easy but
It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. Herman Melville
After all
(You) I don’t have to fit in. Our uniqueness isn’t a scar, but a beauty mark. What makes us different is also what makes us wildly, boldly, and marvellously who we were born to be. Alicia Keys
Because
the path less travelled always makes for a more interesting journey. Bear Grylls
So dare to be different.
Dare to be you.
Dare to be the voice not the echo. Anon
For
The moment you are unafraid of the crowd you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion and a great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom. Rajneesh.

Happiness is a state of mind, a message from Pope Francis

A recent message from Pope Francis

*You can have flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust. Many appreciate you, admire you and love you.

Remember that to be happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, relationships without disappointments.

To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness. It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures. It is not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity.

Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny's author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life.

Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It's to be able to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a "no". It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified. It is to kiss your children, pamper your parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us.

To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple.

And when you make a mistake, start all over again.

For only then will you be in love with life. You will find that to be happy is not to have a perfect life. But use the tears to irrigate tolerance.

Use your losses to train patience.  Use your mistakes to sculptor serenity.

Use pain to plaster pleasure.  Use obstacles to open windows of intelligence.

Never give up .... Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, for life is an incredible show.*

Turn turn turn

Autumn is a time of productivity, of completion and transition. It asks if that job, project or volunteer role is still life-giving to us and to others. It asks us to consider if the season has changed, if our work there is complete, and if it’s time to transition to something new.  The Book of Ecclesiastes states that To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.   Pete Seeger wrote it and the Byrds recorded it Turn, Turn Turn.

Change is a rearrangement of the furniture. It is when we are in transition that we are most completely alive. William Bridges
 
There are only 2 days in the year when nothing can be done. One is called yesterday, and the other is called tomorrow. So today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live. -Dali Lama

For those that need some inspiration...

Don't just read, absorb.
Don't just change, transform.
Don't just relate, advocate.
Don't just promise, prove.
Don't just criticise, encourage.
Don't just think, ponder.
Don't just take, give.
Don't just see, feel.
Don’t just dream, do.
Don't just hear, listen.
Don't just talk, act.
Don't just tell, show.
Don't just exist, live.”
― Roy T. Bennett

A line with a hole in it. - Mark Twain

If patterns exist in our seemingly patternless lives, then the law of harmony insists that the most harmonious of all patterns, circles within circles, will most often assert itself. Dean Koontz A circle is the reflection of eternity. It has no beginning and it has no end and if you put several circles over each other then you get a spiral. Maynard james Keenan. We are not going in circles we are going upwards. The path is a spiral we have already climbed many steps. Hermann Hesse

One two cha cha cha

It is necessary sometimes to take one step backward to take two steps forward. - Vladimir Lenin

Optimists say it is not a disaster, it is the cha cha. - Anon  This week four planets: Mercury, Mars, Uranus and Neptune are retrograde meaning they appear to be moving backwards in the night sky.  According to the Cambridge dictionary retrograde means returning to older methods and ideas while in astrological terms retrograde planets make us more aware.

Time marches forward and we believe that there are far better things ahead than what we leave behind - CS Lewis. Even though we take one step back we are still moving forward.  It is up to us to choose to go back to safety or go forward towards growth. - Abraham Maslow

This week I invite you look back to see how far you have come and then turn to face the future. The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is called the dance of life and when you dance to your own rhythm, life taps its toes to your beat.

Each moment is all we need, no more

Like a sandcastle, all is temporary. Build it, tend it, enjoy it. When the time comes, let it go. Jack Kornfield

Gautam Buddha entered a village. On the boundary was a river and on the shore many children sat studiously making sand castles. If anyone disturbed somebody else's castle they would shout and be angry at each other. Buddha watched.  At sunset their mothers called, 'Come back home, it is time for your supper'. They jumped up and flattened their own castles, the very ones they had just argued over. They never looked back, simply went home.  Buddha said to his disciples, “Life is not much more than this.”

All your seriousness is about sandcastles. And you yourself will leave them one day. The people who take it seriously miss the beauty of playfulness. - Osho

We are all building sand castles on the cosmic beaches of the universe. as long as it lasts, enjoy it. Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more. Mother Teresa

Rebirth and change

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly. Proverb

A caterpillar is born, it eats, then wraps itself up in the darkness of a cocoon and waits.  It doesn't plan the outcome, nature does. Transformation means literally going beyond your form. Wayne Dyer    Because A rebirth out of spiritual adversity causes us to become new creatures. James Faust
It is impossible to predict our futures, yet we know Right now we are standing at a massive point of rebirth. Lars Urlich.  I invite you to take this time to connect with that which you hold most dear. For the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being. C. G. Jung
Find it, embrace it, be grateful for it. Remember, No matter how hard the path, you can always begin again. Buddha

Faith, trust and pixie dust.

Faith is like the little bird that can feel the light and sing when the dawn is still dark

The sheer joy and awe of a wild animal trusting you enough to feed from your hand  requires patience, stillness of mind and body and an open heart. 

Learning to trust is one of life's most difficult tasks. -Isaac Watts  If you do not trust life to unfold, the mind takes over and it becomes a game of strategy, motivated by anxiety. - Mooji

Our bodies convey 65% of our message, thus actions speak louder than words.  We trust movement. Life happens through events not words. Anon  Begin with an open heart  and you can learn to trust life, it will trust you back. - Dharma 

 Then have faith and trust yourself. You must also trust and believe in people or life becomes unbearable. Anton Chekhov  Finally, Be willing to take the next step not knowing where it will lead you. If you do, it means you are ready for any new possibility. - Sadhguru.

This week I invite you to open our hands, our hearts, our minds to trust ourselves, each other and the universe.