Welcome to the Blog
February and March, 2021

News and Views on Ageing
If you would like to comment on any of the posts below please see the Contact page.

Past Blogs: 2020, 
2021: January, 

Renewal

March 28th

 In the early stages of meditation practice I tended to  view mind as problematic, something that gets in the  way, something to be silenced. After a while we may  begin to approach mind as an obstacle to be reigned  in like wayward children who need to have  boundaries set with kindness and compassion rather  than punishment. Kindness and compassion are  certainly appropriate but is that the whole picture?

 In Buddhist psychology the mind is regarded as a  sense organ like eyes and ears. Just like our other  senses mind cannot be shut down. Thinking is a  continuous process that is part of the human  experience, thoughts are part of our awareness and  when, in formal meditation, we follow our thoughts  we are actually widening our awareness.

I find this very freeing in that I can let go of my inclination to struggle with thoughts, to see them as a barrier to a ‘good’ meditation. That struggle has been a feature of my meditation practice for many months when the reality is that thoughts are stretching my experience vista. The end result is the freedom to return to the point of focus with no strings attached.

Comments: 0

Introducing Awakening the Sage Within

March 26th

Explore the Awakening the Sage Within workshop from Sageing International with Randall Krause and Charlie Ivermee:
In this introductory workshop we will take a look at some of the influences on how we age, from external attitudes to views that we have internalised. We will explore how we feel about ageing and take a look at the opportunities that come with ageing. We will also look at what the Awakening the Sage Within workshop offers. More details can be found at An Introduction to Sage-ing

The workshop is freely offered and will take place via Zoom on Saturday, May 22nd from 3:30pm to 5:00pm BST, 10:30am to 12:00am CT.

Comments: 0

Mind and Meditation

March 9th

 In the early stages of meditation practice I tended to  view mind as problematic, something that gets in the  way, something to be silenced. After a while we may  begin to approach mind as an obstacle to be reigned  in like wayward children who need to have  boundaries set with kindness and compassion rather  than punishment. Kindness and compassion are  certainly appropriate but is that the whole picture?

 In Buddhist psychology the mind is regarded as a  sense organ like eyes and ears. Just like our other  senses mind cannot be shut down. Thinking is a  continuous process that is part of the human  experience, thoughts are part of our awareness and  when, in formal meditation, we follow our thoughts  we are actually widening our awareness.

I find this very freeing in that I can let go of my inclination to struggle with thoughts, to see them as a barrier to a ‘good’ meditation. That struggle has been a feature of my meditation practice for many months when the reality is that thoughts are stretching my experience vista. The end result is the freedom to return to the point of focus with no strings attached.

Comments: 0

A Meditive Vision

February 15th

 Whilst meditating this morning I had a strong sense  of my heart area, the gentle beating there and a  warmth spreading through my body down to my feet  on the floor.

 An immense stillness and inner quiet came over me  and I saw in front of me a sturdy old and battered  galvanised bucket. It was up against a rough stone  inner wall of a building, from the wall above the  bucket was an antique tap. Crystal clear water was  flowing from the tap into the bucket.

  Comments: 0