Category: inspiration

Saturday Reading: 6 Interesting things I found on the Internet

There are so many interesting things to be discovered on a warm and lazy Saturday afternoon at home. Here are 6 interesting things that I found on the internet:

  1. Zalipie is no ordinary Polish village. It’s a beautiful quaint Painted Village, the idea of which I find utterly inspiring.
  2. This article on pachamama.org talks about why our souls need nature.
  3. Have you heard of the Sentinelese islanders? They’re said to be the most isolated tribe in the world. It’s interesting to know that wild places and people virtually untouched by the domestication and often destructive hand of modern society still exist in today’s world. Their violent nature does sound a bit scary. I guess to them its a matter of self-preservation. Unfortunately for the Sentinelese, fishing companies are rumoured to be encroaching more and more into their territory. One can only hope that the Indian government’s 3 mile exclusion zone will assist in protecting the island and the Sentinelese from intrusion and outside contact that would probably wipe them out of existence.
  4. For all the flower loving goddesses, Monica Sabolla Gruppo offers some tips on how to make a beautiful DIY bouquet that stays fresh.
  5. Sophia Rose from La Abeja Herbs wrote a blog post about the sacred and healing practice of Bajos, or yoni/vaginal steams.
  6. Stacey LL Couch created this wonderful Spirit Animal Library.

 Happy Saturday!

Mature Linden Tree

In Search of a Higher Perspective

I’m sitting in the window with the sun warming my back. It’s my favourite spot this time of the year when the house becomes so cold inside. Already we’ve had light snow in some parts of the country, which is completely bizarre for April. More and more, I’ll spend my days following the sun, searching for its loving warmth and inspiration as the cold days of winter approach. And I do need that warmth and inspiration so much today.

The late morning is passing by so quietly. I could almost believe that the world is a peaceful and gentle place right now, if it wasn’t for the sadness that I carry in my heart. I wonder too, if I deserve these quiet moments of peace and grace when chaos seems to be rising in this crazy world.

Good things have happened over the past few days. I went to the coast to attend my baby brother’s university graduation and I got to visit with one of my longest and dearest friends and her family over the weekend while I was there. I am grateful for these blessings because it was a much need break for my husband and I. I also got that fix of the ocean that I’d been craving for a while and just the sound of the waves and the feel of the water rushing over my feet has a way of washing the weight of the world off my shoulders.

However, on the flip side, devastating realities have reared their ugly head too. In recent weeks, my country has seen a spate of violent xenophobic attacks on foreign African nationals, our fellow Africans who are forced to come here in search of a better life. The violence is shocking, sickening and unacceptable. I’m sad and angered by what has happened. The issue of xenophobic/afrophobic affects me very deeply, considering that my husband is from Zimbabwe and that some members of my family have immigrated here from Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The attacks have been committed by a minority of ignorant, angry and criminal individuals. Yes, many are poverty stricken, face difficult circumstances and so much more needs to be done by government and by our society in general to uplift and empower these people. Be even so, there is no excuse for violence and savage attacks on innocent people.

Although poorly handled to begin with, the situation has died down now and government, police and the army have come to the party to arrest perpetrators, quell violence and protect the vulnerable. I am encouraged by those who’ve spoken out, protested against xenophobia and who’ve been actively involved in offering support and refuge to victims of and people vulnerable to xenophobic attacks. I’ve been doing my best to show solidarity, participate in protest and offer support and needed resources where I can. One has to wonder if any of this is enough in the long run.

And then there’s the hard hitting realisation that I cannot separate myself from those who have committed these violent acts however much I detest and protest against their actions and however small a minority they are of our greater country (the majority of the country’s people are disgusted and against these acts of violence). Because the reality is that when the rest of Africa and the world see what has happened, they see us as one country and one South African nation, which leaves me with a deep sense of shame, because this is not my South African as Jonathan Jansen put it. It’s not the South Africa that so many fought for and it betrays the legacy that our freedom fighters and good honest South African people have worked hard to created.

Its difficult not to get sucked into the collective pain body of this situation when I’ve so immersed in it. I keep reminding myself that these are the moments to breathe, stay rooted in a space of presence and to apply the spiritual practises that I believe so strongly in. These are the moments where I need to remember to draw on the wild wisdom of the Earth and to allow the Spirit to guide me through.

I was contemplating how I can be a part of solutions going forward, when this line from Sarah’s blog post just went straight to my heart:

“Let go and let God – relinquish ego and ask to be shown how to use this situation so that the best love and goodness is brought about for as many people as possible.”

Continuous practical actions are necessary to fix our fractured society and repair our moral compass. But just for to today, as I lean into the embrace of the sun’s warm, I take heed from Sarah’s words. I let go and allow myself to be guided to a greater perspective that serves the higher good of all.

xenophobia

Meandering Musings for Monday

Thoughts meander like rivers, their tributaries gathering ideas, insights and inspiration along their fluid course. We can get lost in the undercurrents hidden from the surface, but like rivers, one can only hope that these thoughts carry us to that ancient and enchanted destination – the ocean of wild stories and intricate waves of musings – the place where deeper understandings and great tales of healing magic are born.

In the midst of this weekend’s peacefulness, family time and Nature outings, the thoughts that have been meandering through my mind are ones of sadness for the 150 lives lost in the terror attack at Garissa University in Kenya. The senselessness of terror and destruction in a world gone mad just leaves a big hole in my heart. I will write more on this later in the week, but not today.

So instead (and since I don’t do to this often enough), I’ll share some links that have made for interesting meandering musings over the last couple of week:

Clouds are dreamy shapes-shifters and a soothing point of focus in those moments when I just lie on my back and watch them as I breathe mindfully, but I’d never thought of them as “great behemoth nomads” until I read this fascinating piece on Cloud Nomads by Sylvia over at The Indigo Vat.

Vanessa Carnevale is hosting a #Mindful Prompt Writing Challenge on Instagram. I always find her prompts to be fun and a great source of writing inspiration. So if you are looking for some sparks of writing inspiration, its worth following your lovely prompts.

Mary Reynolds Thompson, author of Reclaiming the Wild Soul, runs a great interview series called Wild Soul Stories. I really enjoyed listening to her interview with Sharon Blackie.

I loved reading Sophia Rose’s latest post, The Taste of Spring: Wild Onions. She’s included a couple of recipes too.

I’m featuring Stacey LL Couch on my blog later this week. Stacey’s interesting blogpost, Angel of Fiery Red Trees, gives some insight into her work.

Lastly, this short essay by Jeri Studebaker offers an interesting perspective on the suppressed history of Mother Goose ties in a Goddess link.

Wishing you all a happy Monday and a week full of blessings!