Rumi’s Reflections: Alison Wem’s Journal – Day 5

Greed makes man blind and foolish,

And makes him an easy prey for death

                                                                                        Jalal al-Din Rumi

There are some among us who choose to worship the great god ‘Money’. I have observed that when they have achieved wealth, far from bringing great joy, it brings more work and worry on how to retain it.

Everyone needs a comfortable and safe home, food and warm clothes for their personal well-being. Anything beyond that is a luxury. The time and energy it takes to achieve this ‘luxury’ can make you poor. Poor in time and energy to focus on your relationships, personal study and just enjoying the gift of life. read more

Can great rugby and great Italian food be combined?

ENGLAND V SOUTH AFRICA

In the final match of the series, England will play South Africa on 20 November 2021 in what will be the first meeting between the sides since the Rugby World Cup 2019 final. This also sees the Springboks back at Twickenham Stadium for the first time since 2018, England edging that game 12-11.

Great Italian food will be served at the match from a vintage Ape Piaggio food truck by Spaggetti on the Road 

Take a look at their fantastic menu that combines the “street“ gastronomic tradition with the Italian cuisine and always ensuring a high quality standard. read more

Silence: does it help calm our brains and give well-being?

Many people do not value silence. I have found it to be comforting, nourishing and cosy.

The noisy world is drowning out our creativity and our inner connection. Noise effects our brains causing elevated levels of stress hormones even when we are sleeping. When I was a busy, working Mum most of my day was with other people and their noise. Being on my own in silence was refreshing.

In 2011, the World Health Organisation (WHO) concluded that the 340 million residents of Western Europe (about the population of the United States), were losing a million years of healthy life every year, due to noise. read more

Soul Centred Consciousness: Liberation from Within

by Jeremy Turner-Welch

The way in which we locate solutions to our inner problems can drastically affect our daily lives.

The more these solutions are located outside yourself, the more your sense of self-worth and confidence becomes linked to external factors and the approval of others. For then you may believe: “if they praise me, I am likeable”, “if I get this job, I am talented”, or “if I avoid relationships, I won’t be hurt again.” This can cause you to employ apologetic, avoidant, defensive or domineering behaviours to control the outside world simply to maintain a positive self-image and belief that you are ‘good enough’. Sadly, this often leads to feeling anxious, fearful, frustrated or overwhelmed. read more

Send love to someone you cannot meet

I am learning from giving virtual reiki sessions over WhatsApp in lockdown London, that distance is absolutely no problem for energy. My friends and customers are amazed that it feels the same as when I am in the same room as them.

Love is intelligent energy and has no bounds.

So with this post of the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park, London I am sending my love to my friend Hitomi in Tokyo. Normally she visits us every other year but she has not been able to come due to the virus. Hitomi, we are missing you and hope we can meet again sometime soon. read more

How are we coping with so many people dying of Covid-19?

Grieving for a loss or trying to support someone who has lost a loved one?

All of us experience grief at some point in our lives.  When we experience it for the first time it can come as quite a shock.  It is often not talked about so it is hard to know how to deal with it.

In the UK over 100,000 people have passed as a direct result of catching Covid-19. On average for each person who passes, 8 – 10 people feel the loss of them in their lives.

The population of the UK is approximately 68m people and up to 1m of them are currently grieving. Many of them are young adults who did not expect to loose a parent so soon. 1m people is nearly 1.5% of the population, so probably all of us know someone who has lost a loved one and is grieving. The UK is not the only country in this situation. read more

Rumi’s Reflection Journal: join Alison Wem on her journey as she experiences the Covid pandemic

Many of us feel constrained by the attempts of our governments to control the virus – lockdowns, curfews, isolation from our loved ones.

We are never really alone. Going within and reflecting opens up a whole new world. While meditation calms us, I have found having something to reflect on and to sense my own feelings, is a constructive practice that helps me to re-connect with the wisdom of my soul.

To help me with my reflections on Rumi’s poetry, I have chosen to use Paper Trail’s book – Rumi’s Reflection Journal. It gives me individual Rumi quotes to consider. Thank you Paper Trail. read more