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Now I’ve reached a certain age, I make a point of glancing at obituaries.  It’s fascinating to see what rich and fulfilling lives so many people have lived.  One recently caught my attention because it was highly unusual - that of Sister Mary Joseph, known until 1989 as Ann Russell Miller.  Once a wealthy Californian socialite associating with the rich and famous, after the death of her husband, on her 61st birthday she threw an enormous party in San Francisco.  The next day she flew to Chicago to join the Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel where she remained for the next thirty years.

As a gardener, May is my favourite month as spring seems to explode with a vibrancy that I can’t help but be moved by.  The trees now reveal their soft green foliage so that the structure of the branches is still visible against the blue sky.  Refreshed by the welcome rain, they are a glorious backdrop to the brilliant colours of the tulips, camellias, rhododendrons, irises and primulas that I have planted throughout my garden and love so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8RrYABYe4E&ab_channel=NitinDas

Worth watching this 3-minute video on how we, like the rivers of the world, can recharge our batteries after dealing with stress, and build resilience.  Nature teaches us so much!

Once again the Spring Equinox is here, heralding new life and offering hope for better days to come.  The long dark winter is over and  the light is increasing daily.  Yes, we may have haze and low cloud right now, and long for the sun to break through, but all around us the signs of abundant life returning are evident - delicate pink and white blossom adorning the trees, soft green leaves unfurling, a symphony of birdsong, and the cheerful swaying of daffodils in the breeze.

Feel uplifted!  A beautiful visual meditation - a short film by Katie Teague, accompanied by peaceful music - reminding us of how the beauty of nature connects us to the sacred.

https://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=7960

We are not living in unprecedented times, as many keep claiming - just different and immensely challenging times!  Even the briefest of reviews of history reveal that humanity has lived through countless terrible times before, when all hope seemed lost, and yet the human race has survived, adapted and evolved.

Something remarkable is happening at the close of this year of the pandemic my astrology friends tell me.  Not only was there a total solar eclipse on 14 December, but also on the Solstice - 21 December - the planets Saturn and Jupiter will be so closely aligned they will look like a double planet to form what is known as a Great Conjunction.  Such Great Conjunctions are extremely rare.  The last time the phenomenon was visible was in the Middle Ages, prior to the Renaissance, although a similar alignment occurred in 1623, but was too close to the sun to be seen.

An uplifting 5-minute meditation on Van Gogh's  beautiful painting of a nature scene in the south of France.  Really worth stopping whatever you're doing and experiencing - it will make a difference to how you feel!  Brilliant idea from the National Gallery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eT-Qi7j45c&ab_channel=TheNationalGallery

As the autumn sunlight lit up the trees outside my window, my heart just soared and I rushed out to wander in the garden and marvel at the sheer beauty of it.  After days of dismal fog, it was magical to see so many shades of copper, auburn and gold sparkling against the bluest of skies.  I was filled with a sense of awe and gratitude!

I just have to share this beautiful animation and poem from filmmaker Andrea Dorfman and poet Tanya Davis.  'Lean into loneliness' in these Covid times - we are all connected.  Thank you for this wonderfully inspiring short video - here's the link -

https://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=8743