Meeting 8th May

Today's theme was Gratitude.  And as some of our regular contributors were away this weekend, we were very grateful to our guest Daniel for leading us in some songs.

We began with a poem on the theme of gratitude, "I Thank Thee" by Monica Miller.  Then I spoke of the theme of gratitude in the Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions, and read a short piece by Robert Frager (which can be found on the website Spirituality and Practice).  Then we sang:
For sun and rain,
For grass and grain,
For all who toil on sea and soil
That we may eat our daily food
To you our love and thanks we give.

Daniel led us in a song "Hakuna mungu kama wewe / There is no one like Jesus".  Then Peter read his poem:

Gratitude

I pray that I may be grateful
For all the things I take for granted.
No; I say that I am already grateful
For everything in my life.
For the four damp walls of this old house,
For my imperfect partner who abides with my imperfection,
For that ten pound note in my wallet,
For the gift of air.
I am even grateful for my ingratitude;
Discontentedness makes me start new things.
I wrap ingratitude, grumpiness,
And the whole world in a cloth of light,
And wrap my grateful aching arms
Around that mixed lumpy bundle
Of trouble and delight.


Eve led us in an activity.  We thought of something we felt grateful for (we were encouraged to think of something individual to us), then went around the circle speaking what we had written, with everyone joining in after each: "And all our hearts expand with yours, in gratitude we come together".

For the mysterious magic of each awakening and the days passing into night.
I feel grateful for all that I have in my life that has helped me to cope with my life, especially the kind, loving support of  people and animals, especially after my mother has died, to help me to feel less alone.
I am grateful for the breath the Lord gives me to live day by day, minute and second.
I am grateful for the lessons of love I have learnt from friends.
I am feeling grateful for the people who came into my life who enabled me to grow into wisdom and understanding.
Gratitude for the flowering cow parsley and hawthorn along the lanes whilst out walking with friends.
I feel so grateful for the immense beauty, joy and expansion of my heart when I remember to stop from busyness and to breathe and sink into being.
I am grateful for young children who want to come and play.
I am grateful for time, space and energy to create a beautiful living environment that feels right for me.
I feel grateful for beauty in nature, music and song, and for joy in Dance - and for the difficulties too.
I am thankful for the rising of the sun every morning, when the sky gets brighter and the warmth comes back again.
I am grateful for my wife and daughters who are teaching me how to love.

Then we danced to "From you I receive, to you I give, together we share, by this we live".  We then had some space to share our thoughts; Harsha shared with us a saying she had heard, "Life is God's gift to you; what you do with it is your gift to God".  Daniel led us in singing again, then we gathered around the centre and I read a story about the Jewish violinist Perlman (you can read it on the website Jewish Pathways).  Finally we sang "This little heart of mine".

The next meeting will be June 12th.

Meeting 10th April

Today's theme was Unity, and we did a lot of singing!

Neesa began with a poem and a body prayer:

All of Creation feeds my soul.
Every leaf and every tree feeds my soul,
The sun and the stars feed my soul,
Every creature of the earth, the air and the water feeds my soul,
Everyone I meet feeds my soul,
And I grow strong and wise.

Then we sang:

When two or more
Are gathered together in my name
Then there I am
Forever among you.

Peter read his poem "The New Religion":

We came by chance, not by our will
To this tiny church on the side of a hill.
And we stood outside and enjoyed the view
Between a skeleton oak and a well-fleshed yew.

Out of the earth this church had grown,
Formed like a bubble of uplifted stone;
A cave held up on the backs of trees
Resting there through the centuries.

And we were ready to be moving on
When behind us we heard a surge of song.
This bit of history was still alive,
Old ways of faith and worship survive.

The voices joined and became a choir
That lifted us up on its gentle fire.
There in the safety of their old beliefs
People transcended their lifelong griefs.

And we could feel in ourselves the welcome release
And steal a share in their weekly peace.
We felt united with those rescued souls
And questioned our modern personal goals.

Here was the song of the human heart
And the comfort that true belief imparts.
But we couldn’t surrender to the god they praised –
That was a price that we could not pay.

That god of vengeance, dogma, war -
We left him behind that old oak door,
With hope in our hearts and our spirits free,
But our souls as displaced as refugees.

We carried on walking around the hill,
Missing something, and we miss it still -
The way to find a meeting of souls
Where every faith will have its role.

We’re searching still for a new religion
That draws the world into holy communion;
Where the distance between us becomes sacred space
Crossed by a palpable radiant grace.


The activity involved more singing, or "toning" - we came together in a circle around the centre with arms around each other's waists and let ourselves make our own sounds, which gradually harmonised into a union of voices before dying away.  Then we sang "Returning, returning, returning to the mother of us all".  Then Neesa read a poem on the theme of unity.

We did two dances; the first was called "Soul Weavers", which we danced weaving in and out between each other:

We've been together before,
Dancing in starlight upon this same shore,
Soul weavers of sound and light,
Gathered together once more.

and the second "Hu, hu, hu, hu Allah", bowing to each other with arms crossed and hands on shoulders.

Jehanne and Rob sang us two songs of Spring, "This new season of Spring" and "April Fool":

When I woke up this morning
There were rabbits running round my bed,
A furry feeling behind my eyes,
White rabbits inside my head.
When I came down to breakfast
A buck hare was chasing the cat.
When I put on my coat to go outside, oh lord,
There was rabbits inside my hat.

Chorus:
There are things that I can see when I am tumbling around
They never taught me when I went to school,
And things that I can hear beside the ringing in my ears,
‘Cos I’m an April fool, oh yes, ‘cos I’m and April fool.

I tell you there’s no end to the ringing,
Because that’s how the fooling goes.
I’ve got bells on my sceptre and bells in my ears
And bells on the end of my toes.
I’ll let you into a confidential secret:
I’m really a king in disguise,
Or a queen or a tramp or old Mrs. Jones,
Who smiles when the sun’s in her eyes.
Chorus

Sometimes I get the impression
That the world is laughing at me,
But can I help it if standing on my head
Is the only way that I can see?
This morning I had a mighty row with myself,
But what can a poor fellow do
When half of my face is black and half white?
I feel as if I’m split two.
Chorus

One day as I was a-tumbling
I saw them felling trees all day
And stoking up the engine of this monster machine
Mowing down the poor folks in its way.
And I met a strange man in dark glasses,
But they were’nt meant to keep out the sun.
His intent was to lock us all up in our heads
‘Til all chances for changing were done.
Chorus

Well I admit that fooling’s a funny kind of game,
No rhyme and no reason, but then,
There are things that you can do when you are only a clown,
So I’ll have that verse over again:
One day as I was a tumbling
I saw them planting trees all day
And taking apart that monster machine
And dancing all the days away.
Chorus

When I woke up this morning
It was you I was dreaming about,
But the white rabbits bowed and put on their hats
And told me it’s time to go out.
Well I’ve only made a start on the fooling.
You’ll have to put me through the fooling school.
Although twelve o’clock has passed and gone,
I’m still an April fool.
Chorus

Song lyric © Jehanne Mehta


We gathered around the centre and sang "When two or more" again, then blew out the candles and offered prayers to Japan, Ivory Coast, Libya and anywhere else we felt they were needed.  Then we sang "This little heart of mine".

Announcements: Contact Peter if you wish to suggest a charity for this month or future months' donations.

Next month's Celebration of Life will be on 8th May, with the theme Gratitude.  Neesa, Rob and Jehanne will all be away!  But we hope to have plenty of singing and dancing for you anyway.

Enjoy the Easter break!

Meeting 13th March

Today's theme was Freedom, inspired by the fight for freedom and democracy in North Africa and the Middle East.
We also remembered Japan and those countries affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

Neesa read a poem, linking last month's theme of living our dreams with today's theme of freedom; nothing is impossible.

Bharati and Dinesh played two songs;

Returning, Returning
Returning to the Mother of us all

and

Yemaya Assessu, Assessu Yemaya
Yemaya Olodo, Olodo Yemaya
You are a River of Love flowing endlessly free
You are One with the Earth, the Sky and the Sea
You are a River of Love flowing endlessly free
I surrender to You, You are All that I Need
Yemaya Assessu, Assessu Yemaya
Yemaya Olodo, Olodo Yemaya


Peter read some words by Kahlil Gibran (see this website  for full text), and a poem about the desires and difficulties of freedom, which led into an activity where we sat in pairs, one spoke of what they wanted to be free to do and the other spoke as the voice of responsibility.

Neesa led us in a Sufi Dance of Universal Peace, singing Allah, Allah and calling in the life force.  Jehanne and Rob were away this week, so Beth sang a song "Life Uncommon" by Jewel, from the Spirit album (see You Tube clip). 

We finished by sitting around the central candles with Bharati and Dinesh leading us in "The Long Time Sun";

May the Long Time Sun Shine upon You
All Love surround You
And the Pure Light within You
Guide your way on
Guide your way on

(also available on You Tube)

Peter had prepared copies of last month's joint poem;

Instructions to the Sleeping Self

Like leaves blowing in the wind
I will catch myself.
At the edge of myself I hold out my hand
And feed myself with the possibility of being.
I give myself time,
I give myself space.
I am grateful for each new day,
I love more and fear less.
I hold onto my dreams,
I believe in me.

I come out of hidind,
And meet my own dear self,
I love more and fear less.
The light inside me shines.
I am a fountain rising out of my body
Falling beautifully into the world.

I keep stepping into the unknown,
I trust my feet.
I laugh and love and shout and learn,
My doing comes out of my being,
I stand up to be counted.
I discover I am a compassionate being.
How would it be if I knew I was already awake?


Next month's Celebration of Life will be on April 10th.

Tsoknyi Rinpoche public talk in Bath 10th April

 http://www.pundarika.uk.net/

The Scientific Poetry Show

The Scientific Poetry Show

A multi-purpose evening of humorous poetry, unscientific science, spiritual poetry, and music.

The launch of 2 new books by Peter Adams, the “homeopathic poet” – one about homeopathy, one of his poetry. The evening will be a reading of poems of various kinds, with a poetic look at science and a scientific look at homeopathy woven in.

Peter is a Registered Homeopath, the owner of Stroud Natural Health Clinic, and a frequent contributor to poetry evenings in Stroud.

With music by Jehanne and Rob Mehta

Bar. Books and CDs for Sale

Free Admission

Saturday 5 March 2011, 8pm

Imperial Hotel, Stroud

(Near The Railway Station)

Meeting 13th February

Today we were "dancing our dreams awake", moving from the internal, contemplative state of winter to a more active stance, thinking how we could manifest our hopes and dreams in the world.

Neesa began with a poem by Stephanie Kaza calling on Mother Earth. Then we sang a song "I walk in Beauty", to voice our intent to walk through life in a way that manifests our hopes and dreams.
I walk in beauty before me,
I walk in beauty behind me.
I walk in beauty above me,
I walk in beauty below me.
I walk in beauty all around me,
As I walk the beauty way
As I walk the beauty way

Peter read a poem:

Waking The Dreaming Self

I think I am walking on my own clean feet
But I end up knee deep in dirt.
I think I’m talking with my own pure tongue
But I hear poisonous words falling out of my mouth.
There is so much of me that I do not own -
I am riding a monster I cannot see
Except in the life I’ve made
And the world we share.
What is there waiting beneath our dreams, beneath our sleep
For our waking to reach down like dawn
And open it’s secrets?
What monsters, what caves, what treasures
Await the touch of our nervous feet,
And what streams of living water
Rise from those deep places?

Again and again life leads me to the living water
And I do not drink.
Again and again life takes me to the edge of my self
And I do not step over.
Again and again life shows me my ignorance
And I forget what I have seen.
Between opportunity and inertia, between courage and fear
I grow slowly like a crystal washed in a solution of experience.
I am learning the lesson of love as fast as I can
And painfully slowly.
I keep getting into trouble
And life keeps leading me to the water;
Next time I will stoop and drink.


Then Peter and Eve led an activity where we sent a message to our potential selves, showing how they might be brought into being over the coming year. Eve inspired us by reading a poem (see this website to read the poem).
We wrote or drew a picture, then swapped our messages with each other to have them read out to the circle. As Peter said, the 'wisdom and creativity' of the group was amazing.

Neesa led us in a dance, singing "I am making my dreams come true".  Then Jehanne sang two songs, "February" and "Manon of the Storm" in French.

February

‘February fill the dykes’,
That’s what the old rhymes call her,
When the tumbling torrents split their sides
And there’s mud beside the river,
When thrushes on the rooftops sing
A tantalizing ode to spring,
But the east wind hasn’t lost its sting
And the winter’s not yet over.

O Candlemas if thou be fine,
Spring will be long a-coming,
But if thou bring us clouds and rain,
Why then it’s time for roving,
Where the February maid’s are seen
In bridal white all trimmed with green
And the east wind sweeps the pavements clean
All of a Sunday morning.

It’s time to clear the ditches out
And lay the blackthorn hedges.
I’ll send my love a valentine
And all my heart’s true pledges.
We’ll meet beneath the old yew tree
Just long enough to say ‘Goodbye’.
Tomorrow I’ll be on my way
As far as this road reaches.

It’s February clear the decks,
Let every land be shriven.\
If we sweep our debris from the sky
The earth will be forgiven.
There’s many a carnival played out
On the February roundabout,
And many a beast with horns and snout
Out of his corner driven.

I’ll take my music on my back,
I’ll take my scarf and jacket
And I’ll follow that old March hare along
Through all the toil and traffic.
I’ll not expect the year to bring
A fortune fair nor anything
But love and just a chance to sing
These few songs in my pocket.
I’ll not expect the year to bring
A fortune fair nor anything
But love and just a chance to sing
The new songs in my pocket.

© Jehanne Mehta



Manon of the Storm (rough translation from the French)

Manon of the storm goes out in the wind, that jostles the daffodils at the threshold of spring. She takes on the day with same fervour as the vows of young lovers. She braids the twisting tendrils of ivy in her long pale hair that floats on the air, and I realize that there’s s huge gap between me and her fabled country.

Chorus: Heat of the sun, solidity of earth, gusts of wind, torrents of rain. Eye of the storm, source of all passion, Manon your mystery is the mystery of life.

When she goes out in the morning under the oak trees and the box, her rustling dress is woven from the streaming rain, with its gleams of silver under the great grey clouds, and she opens to the secrets of the winds. Manon runs barefoot in the sea foam, on that edge which is neither water nor land, and that’s where she harvests those fertile flashes that inspire words and songs.

Chorus as above.

Manon of the storm does not let herself be trapped by numbers, structures, routines or notebooks. She lives in the moment, does not weep for tha past and opens like a flower in the spring. And sometimes when fear holds me rigid I think of her and at last I sense her secret: that passion is the reverse side of a peace so complete that it goes beyond all anguish and all fear.

Chorus: Song of the thrush at the winter’s end when the power of the green pierces the frozen soil. Source of miracles, source of inspiration, Manon your mystery is the mystery of life.



We closed with a further poem from Neesa, and singing "This little heart of mine".

Announcements: Maxine Bennett is running another workshop on "Sing and play Interfaith Chants: Create a soundscape" on 20th February 2.00pm - 5.00pm at the Landsdown Gallery.  Contact Neesa for more information.

Peter will be launching his books at the Imperial Hotel in Stroud on 5th March (details to follow).

Meeting 9th January

The theme for today was "The threshold".  As I was unable to attend, Carol and Jehanne have kindly sent material to include here.

Neesa began with two readings:

“2011 is an opportunity for us to stabilise what we wish to grow. It is a year to consolidate, to put down strong roots and lay firm foundations. There is a need to clear away our old baggage, old thinking patterns and any areas of our lives that are unsustainable, so that we don’t become stuck there. It is time to plant our feet firmly on the Earth and with clear intentions, begin to plant the seeds of our future.”
Glennie Kindred

“Look to this day for it is life;
The very life of life.
In its brief course lie all the realities and truths of existence –
The joy of growth,
The splendour of action,
The glory of power.
For yesterday is but a memory,
And tomorrow is only a vision,
But today well lived makes every yesterday
A memory of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day.”
SANSKRIT HYMN

Peter read one of his poems:

New Years Irresolution

I don’t know what I’m building
But the bricks keep falling into place.
I don’t know where I’m going
But road seems to be leading somewhere.

After getting lost and found so many times
I’m starting to trust the geography.
Life is bigger than I thought,
And keeps unfolding in mysterious ways.

I think it’s a hole I’m falling into
And I discover a deeper ground.
I shrink and find myself growing larger.
I step off the edge, and I’m walking on air.
Somehow my mistakes are the right ones,
And my sickness is healing me.
I’m going round in circles.

I don’t remember falling asleep, but I keep discovering myself waking up.
Every time I escape I’m still here.
The world I come back to is always better at first.
With what’s happened and what could happen so huge, the present seems thin.
One year ends and another begins immediately!
Today I stand at the edge of a new year -
I always stand at the edge of a new self.

I’m getting confused:
The known and the unknown take turns deceiving me.
Am I moving in circles or spirals?
Am I laughing or crying?
Is this a new episode in my life or a repeat?
Where will it all end?
And how will I know?


Eve’s activity was based on this reading from T.S. Eliot’s Quartet – Little Gidding:
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.”

Jehanne sang two songs, "This place" and a song for New Year.

This Place

This place is ancient, a place where the roads meet,
Showing lines in the landscape that were laid down by stars.
The wisdom the earth has been holding in secret
Begins to be known again as the years pass,
Begins to be known again as the years pass.

This place is ancient, a place where the trees grew;
The groves of great yew trees and later of oak,
Where creation was honoured by the old ones, the wise ones
And this place still remembers the words that they spoke,
And this place still remembers the words that they spoke.

This place is ancient : great stones mark the sunrise,
The moonrise and star-rise, the cycles of time,
Where the land holds the key to the wide cosmic dance
And we learn where we came from and how to return,
And we learn where we came from and how to return.

This place is ancient, a place of high power,
With roots that lie deeper than ever were seen;
On the one hand stands love, on the other stands wisdom,
And the gateway to Albion lies in between,
And the gateway to Albion lies in between.

But this place here is new, it is under construction-
Far stronger than stone is the love that we share.
This place is inward. It points to the future.
This place is a temple because we meet here,
This place is a temple because we meet here.


Song lyric © 5th-15th September 2009
Lyrics finished 10th, melody 15th


New Year


The old year shakes his hoary head for his time is nearly through.
We’ll see him swiftly on his way, sing a welcome to the new.
Now the glass is turning; set the boats a-burning,
New songs to be learning, new roads to be treading.

The January wind is come to sweep old lines away.
The new year comes with pen in hand to write another play.
Time’s at a beginning; set the wheels a-spinning,
New kites to be flying. New links to be tying.
.
Now take your loved ones by the hand for this I tell you true:
The gladness of the passing year sheds a glow upon the new;
Down the road together, sun or bitter weather,
New feats to be daring, new ale to be sharing.

Away with all the doubts and fears, for there’s no turning back.
Now set your face towards the sun and your feet upon the track.
Now the glass is turning, set the boats a-burning,
New songs to be learning, new roads to be treading.

© Jehanne Mehta
Last verse added 2nd January 2011


The next Celebration of Life will be on 13th February.