Sunday 26 May 2013

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Whitsun mood


In preparation for the Festival of Flowers 


Such a nice mellow and relaxed mood, the air is filled with Sun rays and happiness, for me this is the Festival that holds the meaning of what is to be human and an individual and the sense of belonging to each other, love and relationship and the spirit of togetherness in the wider sense as a community; this is where I feel I am an individual with my own ideas and thoughts, my beliefs and my background, yet I need to feel I belong somewhere. This is why it is important to feel respected and appreciated by the people around me and I must say I do.
I feel the love and the support of all who know me well, and this makes me blessed.



















In the Whitsun garden



White the flowers grow




Earth is listening, glistening, listening,


Warm the breezes blow.






My heart opening to the Sky above
Like flowers blooming
Opening their petals wide
For Sun King is kissing us all
Bless the Sun, bless the flowers,
 bless the bees and bless the butterflies




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Wednesday 22 May 2013

Whitsun














Whitsun


- 50 days after Easter

Whitsun (originally ‘White Sunday’), also known as Pentecost, is a time for acknowledging the presence of the divine spirit in each individual, and the freedom this gives each of us to strive consciously to understand and communicate with one another. In the Christian tradition, this was the occasion on which the Holy Spirit was sent to each of Jesus’ disciples, along with the gift of speaking in other languages, to help them spread the news of his love for all people of all nations. Rudolf Steiner wanted to create a new Whitsun festival which would emphasise the common humanity shared by us all, and this is the aspect we aim to bring out in our celebrations. 
 
In England it was traditional to wear white on this day, perhaps to symbolise the purity of the spirit. White blossom and flowers are also all around us in nature at this time of the year. Children and teachers wear white to school for this festival and we ask parents to bring in white food to share and white flowers which will become beautiful crowns for our heads. Symbols such as the daisy flower, with its many single petals radiating out from a golden centre, and dove, with its message of peace between people, help us to show how diversity and community can not only co-exist but strengthen each other.

Whitsun verses

White bird is flying in the sky
Brings us a golden ray from on high
White bird has something wise to say
Just flown out of the sun today
Little white bird what news, I pray

Here's a pure white shining feather
Keep it white in every weather
Keep it white for Whitsunday.
                      -J. Marcus



In the Whitsun garden, white the flowers grow,
Earth is listening, glistening, listening, warming breezes blow.
                     -N. Foster
 
 
Good morning dear earth
Good morning dear sun
Good morning dear stones
And the flowers every one
Good morning dear beasts
And the birds in the trees
Good morning to you
And good morning to me
 
 
 

Tuesday 21 May 2013

Peaceful walk

A five minute meditation is all I manage, usually at the end of my day before sleep...

I breathe and notice my breathing, I count, then I like to imagine colours, sometimes I imagine a walk by a pond, colourful pond over a bridge in a Japanese garden...
My yoga teacher yesterday said to count from 108 to 0 - as counting backwards makes us really concentrate so that the mind doesn't wonder...That was useful, as my mind does wonder...

I like to imagine water lilies like in the paintings by Monet...I imagine walking bare feet on warm grass, and with each step a lotus flower opens...

I like this mindful walking, I imagine it and I am lucky to do it at least once or twice a week in the rose garden and the flower garden of Greenwich Park , and just to walk in peace watching the blossom trees and the birds, the squirrels is enough to make me relaxed and happy; and I walk and I smile.

It is important to take a few minutes , a few times each day, to connect with the higher worlds...




In our daily lives, we usually feel pressured to move ahead.  We have to hurry.  We seldom ask ourselves where it is that we must hurry to. 
When you practice walking meditation, you go for a stroll.  You have no purpose or direction in space or time.  The purpose of walking meditation is walking meditation itself.  Going is important, not arriving.  Walking meditation is not a means to an end; it is an end.  Each step is life; each step is peace and joy.  That is why we don’t have to hurry.  That is why we slow down.  We seem to move forward, but we don’t go anywhere; we are not drawn by a goal.  Thus we smile while we are walking.
 
Thich Nhat Hanh
 
 
 
lotus

I discovered a new blog so take a look too!

http://www.zenmoments.org/zen-and-the-lotus-blossom/

Saturday 18 May 2013

May Fair



“Here we go round the Maypole high,
The Maypole high, the maypole high,
Here we go round the Maypole high,
Watch coloured ribbons fly, let coloured ribbons fly…”
 
 
 
 
 Greenwich Steiner School is holding our lovely
 
 
 May Fair
 
Sunday 19th May - 11am to 4pm
 
Woodlands- Mycenae Gardens
 
 
with children's activities, crafts, storytelling,
Maypole dance, music, singing,
lovely food and crafts stalls, 
games and much more!



Jo and Susannah’ s Room on The Broom interactive storytelling at the
 May Fair Sunday 19th May
shows at 2.45pm and 3.45 pm




Sunday 12 May 2013

Things to be happy about


Things to be happy about:

the seasons
sun
rain
the sun after the rain

myself
my husband
my daughter

my family
my friends

my house
my job
my life

Isn't it funny the very things that makes me happy also makes me sad or worried or generally unhappy...why?
Something shifts, a little unbalance, a little bit out of synchronicity...

Then, I breathe...
I ask why...

I can't really answer until I am thankful,
Until I accept there is a higher self and a higher purpose
Then all makes sense again

And I am happy



I have discovered this little website, it is clever as each time you click on something is a different page or list of suggestions...!

http://www.thingstobehappyabout.com/