Ancient Wisdom

Every Springtime, Egypt has an the 'inundation', as the great Nile River floods across the land from the South and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. Rich soil is deposited and this provides for the crops that have sustained the people for millennia. All kinds of fruit and vegetables grew to feed people and animals. This excellent pasture supported healthy people who could fish and hunt water birds, make music and dance, tell stories and create art, sculpture, architecture and paintings. If a society had the means to write, they had the very rare and valuable ability to record their life. The Egyptian priests learnt to read and write and perform mathematics (especially astrology, geometry and algebra) and were very intelligent and knowledgeable and their glory and fame spread throughout the known world.

Goddess 2.0 - An Extract

Goddess 2.0 - Advancing a New Path Forward by Rev. Dr. Karen Tate, published by Megalithica Books, paperback 188 pages £10.99

You are not alone if you believe domination and authoritarian patriarchy are destroying countless lives and our planet. There is a more sustainable alternative and it's not new. In fact it's ancient. Exiled for a time, but making a return, the Sacred Feminine has become indelibly integrated into our lives, reminding humanity during this time of crisis that the ideals of the Great She offer a pathway to secure a more sustainable future. As people lose faith in organized religion, as the paradigm of power shifts across the globe, as climate change quickly approaches a point of no return, people are leading using their divine intelligence gleaned from Goddess teachings to find solutions and sanctuary. They're listening to their consciences, heart wisdom, and intuition to manifest a new normal. They're practicing partnership, generosity, and compassion to establish a new way of being. They're tapping into their empathy and morality as they hit the reset button. We are witnessing this awakening across the globe as people from all walks of life and cultures turn to Goddess, deity, archetype and ideal, to evolve from the malignant chaos we face today. Using the wisdom and activism suggested in Goddess 2.0; Advancing a New Path Forward, we see through the lens of spiritual, cultural and political leaders, old and new, male and female. They share the many ways Goddess Spirituality has grown and matured in the minds of Her advocates to inspire the birth of a new world and usher in a time of security, peace, joy, equality and prosperity for all.

Counselling Training Essay

Unconditional positive regard and congruence in Client Centred Therapy

The counsellor’s genuine caring and responsibility needs to be in evidence. If the counsellor is only pretending to have unconditional positive regard, it would be obvious, and a client with healthy discernment would seek help elsewhere. On this particular subject, I had a conversation with my counselling trainer, Tony Merry, who told a story of when he was a counsellor. This particular client had no friends because he was so boring! In the course of therapy, the counsellor had felt so bored for seven consecutive therapy sessions that on the seventh occasion, the counsellor stated that he too was bored.The client grew very angry (which was not boring for the counsellor), and from that point onwards the counsellor was not bored by the client. 

I think this was wrong for two reasons. Firstly, the client was not working through his material at his own pace, and secondly he felt the need subsequently to be in therapy to interest his counsellor. I think it is important that a counsellor is congruent, but in a non critical way. 

When I Was One and Twenty - A Poem

 A poem remembered from my childhood:

When I was one-and-twenty

       I heard a wise man say,

“Give crowns and pounds and guineas

       But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies

       But keep your fancy free.”

But I was one-and-twenty,

       No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty

       I heard him say again,

“The heart out of the bosom

       Was never given in vain;

’Tis paid with sighs a plenty

       And sold for endless rue.”

And I am two-and-twenty,

       And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.

The Romany Rye - An Extract

One day Cogia Efendy went to a bridal festival. The masters of the feast, observing his old and corse apparel, paid him no consideration whatever. The Cogia saw that he had no chance of notice; so going out, he hurried to his house, and putting on a splendid pelisse, returned to the place of festival. No sooner did he enter the door than the masters advanced to meet him, and saying, "Welcome, Cogia Efendy," with all imaginable honour and reverence, placed him at the head of the table, and said "Please to eat, Lord Cogia." Forthwith the Cogia, taking hold of one of the furs of his pelisse, said "Welcome, my pelisse ; pleased to eat, my Lord." The masters looking at the Cogia with great surprise, said, "What are you about?" Whereupon the Cogia replied, "As it is evident that all the honour paid is paid to my pelisse, I think it ought to have some food too." - Pleasantries of the Cogia Nasr Eddin Efendi 

Sir Patrick Spens - A Poem

 Poems from my childhood....

The King sits in Dunferline toun,
Drinkin the blude-reid wine
‘O whaur will A get a skeely skipper
Tae sail this new ship o mine?’

O up and spak an eldern knight,
Sat at the king’s richt knee;
‘Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor
That ever sailt the sea.’

Self Development

Take charge of your life. Write your life story. What have been the major turning points, successes, reversals and relationships?

What is your life purpose? What gives your life meaning?  What is your greatest fear? What is your greatest regret? What has been your greatest defeat? What makes you angry? What opportunities present themselves to you today? What are the main beliefs you have about yourself and the world? Are these self limiting beliefs? What have you always wanted to do? What preparations have you made for it? What target date have you for it? What are you in denial about? How can you improve your attitude? What are you grateful for? Write down what you want and put a time on it. Do you need to burn bridges? 

Keep a journal with the following sections: Health: Finances: Career: Family: Social: Educational: Home: Emotional: Mental. What will you do in 6 months? What will you do in 5 years? What will you do in 10 years? How might you sabotage yourself? 

Karma and Dharma!

Karma - what is described as a ‘law’ but is only a belief! A belief in reincarnation is required! Are we really punished and rewarded for actions in past lives that we have long forgotten? I doubt it! We see unscrupulous people in prestigious circumstances, and the very kindest in appalling squalor. This is not divine justice! And not very intelligent either! 

Dharma! Life Purpose! We are here to discover who we are, not who we hope we will be, or might be, but who we really are! Inside us is a budding beautiful person, with compassion, caring, thoughtful consideration and endless capacity for service to others to create a better world for everyone. 

You are unique! No-one has ever existed or ever will exist who is like you. You are at one off in the entire universe. Remember your uniqueness! Seek your highest self, your best self, your most generous self, your kindest self. This is your divinity, your eternal self, the one who meets your maker at the end of days. 

Rape in a War Zone

War Rape is not a violation that is exclusively committed against women alone. Many men are also raped in war, usually by an object, rarely by another man. 

Remember - A Poem

Remember me when I am gone away, Gone far away into that silent land; When you can no more hold me by the hand, Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. 

Remember me when no more day by day You tell me of our future that you planned; Only remember me; you understand It will be late to counsel then or pray. Yet if you should forget me for a while and afterwards remember, do not grieve:

For if the darkness and corruption leave A vestige of the thoughts that once I had, Better by far you should forget and smile Than that you should remember and be sad.  

The Highwayman

 Poems from my childhood.... The first part only…. The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, and the moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, and the highwayman came riding, riding, riding, the highway man came riding, up to the old inn door. 

He’d a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin, a coat of the claret velvet, and breaches of brown doeskin. They fitted with never a wrinkle, his boots were up to his thigh, and he rode with a jewelled twinkle, his pistol butts a twinkle, his rapier hilt a twinkle, under the Jewelled sky. 

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn yard. He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred. He whistled a tune to the window, and he should be waiting there, but the landlord’s black eyed daughter, Bess, the landlord’s daughter, platting a dark red love knot into her long black hair.

I Shall - A Poem

 

I shall pass this way but once - through this toilsome world!

Alas! Once and only once! And if I can show kindness to any human being, let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again! 

The Greatest Knight - Book Extract

In the dark hour before dawn, all the shutters of the great hall were closed against the evil vapours of the night. Under the heavy iron of the curfew, the fire was a quenched dragon's eye. The forms of slumbering knights and retainers lined the walls, and the air sighed with the sound of their breathing and resonated with the occasional glottal snore. 

At the far end of the hall, occupying one of the less favoured places near the draughts, and away from the residual gleam of the fire, a young man twitched in his sleep. His brow pleated as the vivid images of his dream took him from the restless darkness of this vast Norman castle to the smaller, intimate chamber of his family's keep at Hamstead...... 

Lead from a burning church roof had destroyed his father's right eye and melted a raw trail from temple to jaw, leaving him with an angel's visage one side and a gargoyle’s mask of a devil on the other....

"Will I be gone a long time?" his dream self asked in a high treble. "That depends on how long King Stephen wants to keep you." "Why does he want to keep me?" "Because I made him a promise and he wants you beside him until I have kept that promise." His father's voice was as harsh as a sword blade across a whetstone. "You are a hostage for my word of honour". 

Music Choice

 Song Laboratory Labotorium Piesni * Belarusian traditional song 'Shtoj pa moru' ['Out there on the sea'] - recorded in Świątynia Dźwięku - Sound Temple Andara  in Borsk in Kashubian region (Poland).

Third Force Field Analysis

Gossip is good for us, providing it is positive and true! Avoid critical gossip and lies! 

Give people more than they expect! 

When you lose, don’t lose the lesson!

Keep improving yourself!

How can you change your life for the better?

Each day, learn something valuable, read a poem, listen to a piece of music, walk in nature, speak to someone in a meaningful way, perform an act of kindness. 

Listen as well as talk!

Define your life path!

Remember no-one is perfect, and we argue with others when we are most unhappy with ourselves. 

Put values of caring, truth, understanding and compassion at the centre of your relationships. 

Look at difficult situations from all perspectives. 

Better Relating

Are you listening to the other person? 

Do you understand each other’s frustration? 

Do you display a sense of superiority, making them feel worthless? 

Do you recognise the other person’s achievements? 

Do you refuse to shared household activities because you consider yourself the breadwinner and therefore deserve to get easy in the home? 

Are you just playing laser and caring? 

Is there some other deep-seated anger, which motivates your unwillingness to understand the other persons problems? 

Do you want to be happy?

Rules of Loving

Don’t score points. Be supportive not judgmental. Win-win. Practice forgiveness. Be prepared to say you are sorry and thank you. Decide you really want the relationship to work 100%. Be in the relationship for the long run. Don’t play tricks or deceive. All vulnerability. Celebrate differences. Compromise. Ask for what you need. Learn to handle conflict by listening, caring and allowing times of upset and hurt to heal. Spite will finish the relationship. What qualities are you looking for - and what qualities do you offer? Commit to doing the best for your partner and the relationship. 

Better Relationships - Part Three

Towards creating better relationships: 

Cut out negative self talk. Admit and celebrate differences. What do you need to do differently? 

Get a picture in your mind’s eye of a typical difficult situation. Reduce it in size, colour and volume. Replace the negative scene with a positive memory. Increase the colour, volume and size. 

Ask questions! Why do you say that? Can you give me an example? What is the cause of the problem? How can we resolve this so we can move forward? Answer with thoughtful caring: I apologise for my part in that because I didn’t notice. I understand you are angry with me about that and I will be careful not to repeat it.

Relating styles: 

Prescriptive - this is what you should do!  

Informative: I share this knowledge with you.  

Confronting: You are not OK.  

Cathartic: Emotional.  

Catalytic: Reflective.  

Supportive: Empathic.  

Cognitive: Cerebral. 

Personal Growth Part 1

Are you able to solve complex problems in your life? If not, why not? 

Can you maintain yourself as a competent, intelligent, skilful, resourceful and resilient person whatever the stresses on you?

Are you capable of controlling your feelings? This is self empowerment. 

Be motivated from within yourself rather than from the world outside yourself. 

Free yourself from the need for approval. 

Set your own rules of conduct for yourself and boundaries with others. 

Be free from the desire for accomplishment, money, and success. 

Accept yourself but improve yourself where you can. 

Can you deal with disagreements, conflicts and compromises? 

Be free from hero worship. No one is perfect! 

Become a doer rather than a critic? Easy to criticise if you don’t do much yourself well. 

Welcome new people, places and hobbies and interests into your life.