The child is in me still and sometimes not so still. Fred Rogers
When was the last time you stared with innocent wonder at a spider spinning her web? Gone barefoot in the rain? Blew bubbles?
I never tire of the swirling translucent orbs floating on the slightest breath of wind. Born of liquid glycerine and brought to life by a short puff of prana they begin their disappointingly short journey of picture perfect delight.
I believe If you stay aligned with your inner child, you’ll always feel forever young. Bhuwan Thapaliya. After all Adults are only kids grown up. Walt Disney
This week take a moment to look through the eyes of a child when everything seemed possible and remember, you still have the chance to be that wild. Nikki Rowe. The only thing stopping you is looking back in the mirror.
Hold On for Dear Life
HODL describes crypto traders who never sell no matter how much money they’ve lost. Proud eternal optimists would rather go down with a sinking ship than get out alive with some modicum of dignity and cash in their pocket.
I believe we all have examples in our own lives of holding on even when doing so is no longer in our favour. We remain in abusive relationships; stash boxes of clothes we’ll never fit into; remain disengaged in an unfulfilling job; are stuck in habits and lifestyle choices made at a younger age. What is it that prevents us from acknowledging that everything has a time and place?
Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go. Hermann Hesse
Our material wealth, status, and possessions may come and go, so too our friends. ELO reminds us to ‘Hold on Tight’ to our dreams. This week consider your childhood dreams. What have done with your life thus far that embodies the aspirations of your inner child? Isn’t it time to re-ignite it?
All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go, holding on and moving on. Havelock Ellis
what's the buzz
When the flower blossoms, the bee will come. Srikumar Rao
World Bee Day was on May 20. Bees are over 14M years old and are responsible for pollinating 75% of the world’s total crop production. Yet they are under threat from pollution, environment degradation, parasites, pesticides and climate change.
These amazing insects with brains the size of a poppy seed work together, have a defined hierarchy, communicate complex messages using their waggle dance, can hover, build hives in hexagons – nature’s most efficient shape, and can learn.
Scientists trained buff tailed bumble bees to score a goal in ‘bee football’ in return for a sugary treat. Not only that but researchers at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), caught bumblebees interacting with rolling balls despite having no incentive to do so — proving that insects can engage in play behavior like dogs or cats.
Aside from playing and pollinating bees heal. Their wings vibrate to the note of C and it has been recently recognised that army veteran beekeepers experience vast improvements in PTSD. Beeswax contains anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties while honey is also an antioxidant Honey boosts your metabolism, which is essential for weight loss.
Throughout history bees embodied focus, dedication, hard work, teamwork, generosity, prosperity, and fertility. They are the emblem of Christ and serve as wise guardians. They symbolize wealth, good luck and prosperity. The Greeks believed humans could be reincarnated as bees, or that the bees were the souls of those who had not yet been born leading to a correlation to innovation, creativity and change.
This week I invite express a moment of gratitude as you dip into your honey jar to nature’s tireless essential workers. Tonight we will honour bees using the humming bee breath – a powerful simple meditation to calm the mind, reduce blood pressure and improve concentration.
Where there are bees there are flowers, and wherever there are flowers there is new life and hope. Christy Lefteri
If you can wait…
if you can wait and not be tired by waiting…. (If by Rudyard Kipling)
The painting is called "Patientia" by Pieter Bruegel. Look closely, Patience is sitting quietly, chained to a block, praying in a world gone mad.
The caption, by the early Catholic theologian Lactantius, reads: Patience is the bearing with equanimity of the evils which are either inflicted or happen to fall on us.
Therefore the just and wise man, because he exercises virtue, has patience in himself; but he will be altogether free from this if he shall suffer no adversity. On the other hand, the man who lives in prosperity is impatient because he suffers nothing.
Getting what we want makes it difficult to wait for what we don't have. To survive, as Bruegel shows, you have to tune out the noise and look away from the madness because we can’t always get what we want when we want. Yet we can still be at peace in the interim. Some count to ten or go for a walk to gain a new perspective I prefer gong baths to elicit a state of neutrality and clarity of mind. Remember all good things come to those who wait.
Mother's Day
Life doesn't come with a manual. It comes with a mother. Unknown.
One thing we all share is that we have mothers. They are the multitasking, patient, gurus of unconditional love that nurture, protect and support us throughout their entire lives.
Robert Browning said All love begins and ends with motherhood. For some of us our mothers have passed, for others they live far away, Yet we never outgrow the need for someone special to hold us, tuck us in and reassure us that all will be well.
Mother is a verb. It's something you do. Cheryl Lacey Donovan. It is the heartbeat in the home. Leroy Brownlow
Gloria Steinheim only discovered in her 50’s that one’s home was a ‘symbol of the self’. This week I invite you to spend time mothering yourself. To listen to your deepest needs and respond to them as if they were your inner child. Melinda Burns. One way is to create a comfortable home filled with special indulgences such as a flower by your bed, a scented candle, or a reading nook.
These small acts replicate the divine feminine as a 3D manifestation of love, support and serenity. Happy Mother’s Day.
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.
say what?
Noise pollution is the price we pay for living in cities. Henry W. Kendall. It is a public health problem that can no longer be ignored. Richard Neitzel
The WHO states that noise (unwanted sound) pollution is the second most significant environmental health risk after air pollution. It can cause hearing loss, tinnitus, stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart disease and sleep disturbance.
Hearing does deteriorate with age however permanent damage occurs from prolonged exposure to high levels of noise such as a vacuum for 8 hrs (80dB) or an intense burst of noise for a short duration such as a plane taking off for 5 seconds. (130 dB). Once lost, hearing is irreparable. Loss of hearing accounts for 8% of dementia patients, leads to decreased sense of balance and compromised quality of life.
Of all the varieties of modern pollution noise is the most insidious. Robert Lacey
The third Wednesday of April is Noise Awareness Day. A day to consciously notice your sound environment and introduce new behaviors.
Listening to and understanding our inner sufferings will resolve most of the problems we encounter. Thich Nhat Hanh
Maybe you change your route to work to avoid the pile drivers; spend 15 min in a park listening; or simply start wearing earplugs on the street. Awareness is the first step towards change. This week, tune in to silence.
The nose knows
Smell is the only fully developed sense a fetus has in the womb, and is the most developed until age 10 when sight takes over. Because of the anatomy of the brain, olfactory signals reach the limbic system quickly and smell and emotion are stored as one memory. This explains why we remember as much as 35% of what we smell vs only 5% of what we see.
Nothing revives the past so completely as a smell that was once associated with it. Vladimir Nabokov
This is called a Proustian moment – a whiff of a scent bringing a torrent of long forgotten memories. Maybe it was your mother’s favorite scent or the spicy aroma of yogi tea when you enter the studio?
Odor-linked memories improve our health. Researchers found these memories are more positive than memories brought on by any other senses. They put us in good moods, reduce stress, boost self-esteem, improve social interactions, and instil a sense of optimism. They can inspire self-confidence, motivation, and even to help quit smoking.
The loss of smell affects over 50% of those between 65-80. And now significantly more due to COVID. Did you know you can strengthen your sense of smell? The first is to become consciously aware of scents in your daily life. Start sniffing. The next is using a neti pot. They look like a small watering can that you fill with lukewarm saline and pour into one nostril and out the other. Doing so regularly removes mucus and allergens, helps prevent sinus infections, headaches and other allergy symptoms. It is a great first line of defense especially for airborne diseases.
The allergy and flu season is upon us if you wish to learn more about a simple effective technique to cleanse your sinuses, improve your sense of smell and taste and lift your mood drop us a line. We have a few in the studio and I would be pleased to show you how to use them.
In the meantime go well, be well and get gonged
Blue skies from now on
O bluebird, welcome back again. Thy azure coat and ruddy vest, are hues that April loveth best. John Burroughs
Yesterday I woke to the cheerful and incessant call of my neighbourhood kingfisher, who for a little bird has a mighty voice. The cloudless blue sky inspired a jaunty lilt to my gait as I made my way to the studio.
Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see – Ella Fitzgerald
(listen here)
Bluebirds are the first birds to return to the northern climes after winter. Their colourful plumage offers hope that winter is soon gone.
In 1934 Edward Heyman wrote ‘The Bluebird of Happiness’ which sold over a million copies.
Listen here
Lyrics here.
It’s a life of smiles, and a life of tears,
It’s a life of hopes, and of fears.
For every bit of darkness,
There’s a little bit of light.
If you will— hold your head up high,
‘Til you see a ray of light and cheer.
And so remember this, life is no abyss,
Somewhere there’s a bluebird of happiness.
May you find yours.
Hope Springs
Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering ‘it will be happier - Alfred Lord Tennyson
During COVID New Zealand’s Prime Minister added the Easter Bunny to her country’s list of essential workers. In the west the Easter bunny is akin to Santa Claus bringing eggs and chocolate to children. This tradition originated in Germany in the late 1600’s where it was believed both eggs and rabbits symbolised fertility and rebirth, both signs of spring. Eventually the practice found it’s way to the USA and Hallmark.
This year we are doubly blessed to be celebrating the year of the rabbit. 2023 was ordained to be a year of longevity, peace, prosperity and hope. Tonight’s full pink moon will be celebrated as ‘Passover Moon’ among the Jewish; Muslims, Ramadan; Hindus, the birth of Lord Hanuman; Buddhists, Bak Poya; and for Christians Shrove Thursday.
Both the Chinese and Aztecs had myths featuring rabbits. In both cases the rabbits selflessly offered themselves as food for hungry travellers. Unbeknownst to the rabbits the travellers were gods in human form. Touched by this noble offering the rabbits were elevated to the moon. "You may be just a rabbit, but everyone will remember you; there is your image in light, for all people and for all times."
Tonight take a moment, gaze at the moon. Remember Hope is a waking dream. Aristotle Fleetwood Mac reminds us that yesterday is gone, yesterday is gong. To open our eyes and look at the day and see things in a different way. It'll be better than before.
Listen here