December 31, 2019
Blessings for a kinder World
Looking back at the old year and saying goodbye with gratitude for what helped me to grow. Looking forward to a new year when I shall be given more challenges and opportunities to work with the Gods and my fellow creatures here in this Apparent World, to mature Spiritually and to accept the ageing of my physical body with grace, letting go of what is no longer needed and embracing kindness, love and peace. Blessings to you all as the World turns and the Light comes back. I send you hope for a more honest and kinder world, a world where all creatures and existences can thrive in harmony š„š„š„
December 28, 2019
Carrying a dog on a stair lift? How can this be done safely?
This morning I successfully took Sammy up on the chairlift – we were concerned he might struggle but he sat on my lap as good as gold. Penny had to put him on me when I sat on the lift. He is getting weaker and sometimes canāt climb the stairs at all, and wails. Penny is away for a few days later in February and somehow I must find a way of lifting him up myself, then sitting on the chair lift. This could be difficult. Also he is quite vulnerable going up on the stair lift – if he were to slip out of my grip he could fall badly from quite a height down the stairs. So we are exploring other options – eg a large dog carry bag that could be secured to the stair lift and me when we go up. He is large for a Westie, and weighs about 12 Kg. Anyone else with experience of overcoming this problem, or other ideas?
December 27, 2019
The White Marble
I had a strange dream last night – I donāt yet know what it means, but will meditate upon itā¦
The White Marble – A Symbolic Dream
Waiting for the Professor – when he comes the others move off to the Meeting Room – I trip over my stick and fall down, twisted and stuck – I am holding a White Marble, small and round – the Professor, an old man with thinning grey hair and grey suit, kneels down, and we look at each other eye to eye. I give him the White Marble to hold so I can get up on my own. Then he gives it back, but because I need a hand free, the other hand holds my stick, I put the White Marble into a nearby dish of orange peal. Then I think it might disappear amongst the orange peal, and be mislaid. So I pick it up and ask the Professor to hold it for me – and then we walk to the Meeting Room where the others are waiting. Before we go in the Professor handed me back the White Marbleā¦.
December 26, 2019
Rabbi Jesus was not a hater, but a listener
Jacob Rees-Mogg apparently put up a post yesterday āUnto us a Child is Bornā. Someone responded āJesus was a Socialist – he hated everything you stand forā. Yes itās funny, but also daft. Jesus seems to have been a Jewish Rabbi who taught love your neighbour, do not judge and forgive those that hurt you. He was not a hater, but a listener. A novel idea 2000 years ago and still a novel idea in 2019.
December 25, 2019
Christmas past, honouring family ancestors
Grandad singing the haunting story of the Mistletoe Bough, a real Father Christmas arriving in real snow, who I much later discovered was my Uncle Bob, and helping dad feed the cattle, throwing hay off the truck while he drove. Silver sixpences in mumās Christmas pudding and smiles from Gran, laughter from Aunty Dorothy. A surreptitious tenner from Uncle Bunt, a sugar mouse in my Stocking – I honour my family and ancestors who enjoyed Christmas Day, and I know that one day, like me, the little ones now will look back when they are old, think of me, and smile.
December 23, 2019
The Wood Cycle ….a dilemma?
Huge de-forestation going on in Russian Siberia on a scale similar to that in the Amazon Basin. The wood goes to China and is turned into finished products, sold in America and rich Western counties. This contributes to Climate Change and Global warming big time. If it were stopped huge numbers of folk in Russia and China would become unemployed and many would die, destabilising those countries. Solution needed?
December 17, 2019
JOMO – the joy of missing out
This is a very pressured time and little things add up. I have found that getting older means less resilience and more need to have time for myself. Always a conflict between commitments (Love) – and the need to connect to the natural world, the other world, where my batteries can be re-charged. Sometimes we have to let go a bit, and experience the joy of missing out -JOMO. Blessings to all, and bring JOMO into your life when you need to!
December 15, 2019
Ales iacta est – The die is cast…
The Die is cast, itās now in the lap of the Gods, as it always has been. Evolution is slow, and Change is Natureās Delight. Perhaps we should not expect too much fairness or empathy from Silver Back Gorillas with shoes. But we have to keep trying to cultivate a fairer and kinder Society despite the self interest and greed, driven by fear and insecurity, and exploited by the Tribal Elders. We older ones have had our time, but is the World now ready for women and younger people to play a greater part?
Maybe not the World but perhaps this will happen in the British Isles as in Scandinavian countries. Meanwhile we have got Johnson – who heads a re-invigorated conservative Tribe – despite his bumbling persona and posh background he will want to succeed as a Man of the People – and he does have some intelligence – letās all hope he uses his gifts and position wisely and with compassion.
December 14, 2019
Wailing Sam!
Old Sam gets separation anxiety now that he is a bit deaf and has visual problems. I go upstairs on my stair lift but sometimes he gets stuck at the bottom and loses confidence, making a wailing noise that tears at the heart strings. Three things give him the psychological strength to gallop up the stairs. 1. I shout āGallop upā very loudly. 2. He is shown an edible treat at the top of the stairs – Pennyās method. And 3. If I wail back from the top, showing my own need for him. Basically he can climb the stairs when he wants, but needs the magical power of connection to get him going.
December 13, 2019
A poignant analysis of the Election results by my wife, Penny Burnfield
The people have spoken! Che sera sera.
Call me a bad loser if you will – but consider the following:
Only 43% voted Conservative. If you include UKIP about 48% voted for leave parties
52% voted for remain parties or those who were offering a second referendum. Do those figures sound familiar?
What might have happened if there had been a repeat of the original in/out EU referendum before the General Election?
Yet Mr Johnson and his party now claim they have a massive mandate to leave, when in fact, because of our electoral system, they just have a massive majority in parliament
What kind of democracy is this?
Surely we need a different system. But the main parties will not support proportional representation when the current system delivers this kind of result for them.
Iām puzzled by those constituencies in the north who voted leave because they felt they had been ignored by the Conservative government and āwanted to give them a good kickingā. Now they have voted the same party back into power ābecause it meant they were being heardā. But is there any evidence that the new government will take any notice of them now? Will the Tory party change its spots? There have been lots of promisesā¦
Anyway, we will leave the EU. Scotland will leave the U.K. We have delivered ourselves into the hands of Donald Trumpās USA. Both the EU and the USA are immensely more powerful than us, so the results of any future negotiations are hardly likely to favour us.
And the US government doesnāt even recognise Climate Change.
Iām old. None of this will affect me personally. But I fear for the future of our country, which I love, and used to feel proud of. Perhaps Iām wrong – I sincerely hope I am.
I will now shut up and go back to āCultivating my Gardenā – as Voltaire said.
G G Paragati 