As I come to the end of my winter stay in Thailand, I am aware of the changing nature of life which has demonstrated itself so clearly to me during the past three months. Put simply, I had one concept of a winter stay in Chiang Mai and, due to events beyond my control, I have now developed a different concept, one which is mercifully preferable to what went before which makes me very happy. The universe seems to have favoured me and I have found a greater sense of belonging. So, this time I am leaving Chiang Mai with a touch of regret and I am very thankful. It's a positive sort of regret that encourages me to know that I will be returning in due course. You know, it all has to do with people, how they are and what they are doing with their lives... the cultivating of the right friendships which make it possible to live a creative and stimulating life and to communicate interestingly with others. It is about having a sense of belonging and of feeling at ease in a place. And, being in Thailand, it is also helpful to have a mix of Thai and non-Thai friends so that one can be in touch with both one's own culture and the culture of Thailand.
I am no longer in a relationship and, in a curious way, this has freed me up and made it easier for me to put myself about and meet more people. Sometimes, relationships can be confining, although I don't feel mine had to be although I was inclined to make it so. But, no more. This idea of being free is an important one in life, not to be confined by convention or fear, but rather to be guided by open-mindedness and heartfelt consideration for others. It is the people who make a place, particularly a city place which is rather divorced from nature, and so it is important to put oneself about in a gentle way and get involved in creative activities that bring both pleasure and well-being. This all lifts the spirits. And it's amazing in a place like this how many people are doing things for others and so spreading well-being through their heartfelt actions. There are many lovely people living to a greater or lesser extent from their hearts and so expressing their humanity. And it is these people who make a place worth living in. So, that is why I hope to be back in Chiang Mai next year, God willing.
Thursday, 24 January 2008
Monday, 14 January 2008
Knowing and judging
Have you ever heard somebody say, "Oh, I'm just a simple soul, easy to understand".... or, "You don't understand me, you don't understand what I am trying to say"? Well, a dear friend of mine got me thinking about this the other day, about whether we can ever fully understand anyone. And, following on from that, do we ever have a right to judge others?
This is where my thinking took me, rightly or wrongly:
'Can I ever really 'know' somebody else's character. I really don't think so... and herein lies the illusion that shatters so many relationships and friendships as we only ever 'know' the other person from our own limited perspective. Are not our characters formed by the accumulation of our experiences with an overlay of genetic influence and karmic inheritance from previous lifetimes as well? Very complex. And the eternal question has always been: who am I? or, what am I? And we use our lifetime of spiritual practice in trying to find an answer to these questions, at least, a few of us do. Yet, if we cannot truly know who we are ourselves, then how can we possibly fathom out even how our nearest and dearest tick along in their lives? How can we truly 'know' anybody else if we cannot 'know' ourselves? After all, every day we are accumulating new experiences which enfold us in another layer of conditioning, and so our characters, too, are in a constant state of change... except what lies at the very core of us which I believe is the divine, which makes us one with the universal consciousness. Is that not at the heart of each one of us? If I can accept this premise, I still feel I can 'know' your character. And, as for a certain other person in my life, well, it's an enigma. Maybe that's what makes relationships exciting. Just when we feel we know someone and we feel comfortable in our 'knowing', they do something that shatters our illusion. At least, it seems like that to me.
And, following on from the not 'knowing', if we are going to be truly honest with ourselves, how can we ever judge the actions of others when we cannot fully 'know' what is prompting those actions. Of course, we can observe what other people do, and we may or may not like it, but we cannot truly judge why they are doing it because we are unable to fathom the deepest recesses of their mind to understand the processes of their thinking. Each one of us is coming from a different place and all we can do is observe. We all have an unfathomable soul that rests in the ocean of eternity and that is understood sometimes not even by us. Life is a glorious mystery.
This is where my thinking took me, rightly or wrongly:
'Can I ever really 'know' somebody else's character. I really don't think so... and herein lies the illusion that shatters so many relationships and friendships as we only ever 'know' the other person from our own limited perspective. Are not our characters formed by the accumulation of our experiences with an overlay of genetic influence and karmic inheritance from previous lifetimes as well? Very complex. And the eternal question has always been: who am I? or, what am I? And we use our lifetime of spiritual practice in trying to find an answer to these questions, at least, a few of us do. Yet, if we cannot truly know who we are ourselves, then how can we possibly fathom out even how our nearest and dearest tick along in their lives? How can we truly 'know' anybody else if we cannot 'know' ourselves? After all, every day we are accumulating new experiences which enfold us in another layer of conditioning, and so our characters, too, are in a constant state of change... except what lies at the very core of us which I believe is the divine, which makes us one with the universal consciousness. Is that not at the heart of each one of us? If I can accept this premise, I still feel I can 'know' your character. And, as for a certain other person in my life, well, it's an enigma. Maybe that's what makes relationships exciting. Just when we feel we know someone and we feel comfortable in our 'knowing', they do something that shatters our illusion. At least, it seems like that to me.
And, following on from the not 'knowing', if we are going to be truly honest with ourselves, how can we ever judge the actions of others when we cannot fully 'know' what is prompting those actions. Of course, we can observe what other people do, and we may or may not like it, but we cannot truly judge why they are doing it because we are unable to fathom the deepest recesses of their mind to understand the processes of their thinking. Each one of us is coming from a different place and all we can do is observe. We all have an unfathomable soul that rests in the ocean of eternity and that is understood sometimes not even by us. Life is a glorious mystery.
Monday, 7 January 2008
Reiki Way News
REIKI WAY NEWS
First, I send out to everyone my heartfelt good wishes for light, joy and a fruitful life in 2008. May it be a year where we can be aware of all our wonderful opportunities and also turn our negative experiences to our advantage with hope in our hearts. On the 7th February it becomes the Chinese New Year of the Rat (and, if you don't like rats, what about Mouse... or Topolino, if you are Italian?) Anyway, Gong Xi Fa Choi.
Reiki Healing Courses 2008/09
For courses, please check the website: www.reikiway.com
Due to the finalising of my home move to Italy this year, I cannot present you with an annual schedule of courses at this time. It will unravel, though, as the year goes on.
Tentatively, for now:
2008
March) London Reiki Level I & II courses
Oct/Nov)
2009
Jan/Feb Chiang Mai Reiki Level I & II courses
* All Master/Teacher courses are by special arrangement.
May the light shine for you.
with love,
Wrio
First, I send out to everyone my heartfelt good wishes for light, joy and a fruitful life in 2008. May it be a year where we can be aware of all our wonderful opportunities and also turn our negative experiences to our advantage with hope in our hearts. On the 7th February it becomes the Chinese New Year of the Rat (and, if you don't like rats, what about Mouse... or Topolino, if you are Italian?) Anyway, Gong Xi Fa Choi.
Reiki Healing Courses 2008/09
For courses, please check the website: www.reikiway.com
Due to the finalising of my home move to Italy this year, I cannot present you with an annual schedule of courses at this time. It will unravel, though, as the year goes on.
Tentatively, for now:
2008
March) London Reiki Level I & II courses
Oct/Nov)
2009
Jan/Feb Chiang Mai Reiki Level I & II courses
* All Master/Teacher courses are by special arrangement.
May the light shine for you.
with love,
Wrio
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
New Year Resolution
This is the time to celebrate renewal. New Year's Day is a new beginning as I step into a new life putting behind me all the sad and difficult experiences of 2007 and accepting that from each one of them there were positive lessons to be drawn. The precious birth of the Cosmic Christ, the Gautama Buddha's glorious enlightenment, the coming of a new springtime - these are surely all symbols of renewal that we can use as benchmarks for our own new beginnings as we strive to put behind us bad times and grasp all the opportunities that life is offering us. Let us embrace life, not in any airy fairy way sort of a way, but with care and consideration searching our heart for what we are truly passionate about and then affirming our intention to cultivate our passions in a positive and creative way. If there is any serious message we can draw out of all the silly haha that goes on at New Year's Eve, then it is surely this: Let us make a new beginning and live our lives more passionately from the heart, cultivating all the talents that God has given us to enhance our lives and the lives of those around us whom we love. Let us wish for their happiness and for their highest good, too.
And, also let us wish for the saving of our own dear Mother Earth and make up our minds to do something about it in 2008 by reducing our own carbon footprints just a little, because every little counts. Maybe we just simply need to care more in 2008, for ourselves, for all beings, and for Mother Earth. We need to be gentle with ourselves and not beat ourselves up and we need to deal with others in the same way, acknowledging with compassion the suffering that each and everyone of us undergoes. In this way, we can enhance our capacity for unconditional compassion through the opening up of our hearts. Yes, in 2008, let us live more from our hearts. It will help.
Wishing everyone a happy and blessed New Year.
And, also let us wish for the saving of our own dear Mother Earth and make up our minds to do something about it in 2008 by reducing our own carbon footprints just a little, because every little counts. Maybe we just simply need to care more in 2008, for ourselves, for all beings, and for Mother Earth. We need to be gentle with ourselves and not beat ourselves up and we need to deal with others in the same way, acknowledging with compassion the suffering that each and everyone of us undergoes. In this way, we can enhance our capacity for unconditional compassion through the opening up of our hearts. Yes, in 2008, let us live more from our hearts. It will help.
Wishing everyone a happy and blessed New Year.
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