It is April 2020, the world is in 'Lockdown'. It feels surreal to write that, it is surreal isn't it? Whatever any of us believe or do not believe about the Corona virus, the fact is, we are all in Lockdown. And each of us will be experiencing this in different ways. I know for myself, my experience of this situation changes from day to day. I feel the collective energy of fear on some days. Other days, I feel the collective energy of hope for a gentler, kinder, more loving world after this has passed. I feel Mother Earth breathing more deeply, resting and healing. And I sense people awakening to the different rhythm of Mother Earth and of their own lives, reminding me of a life changing choice me and my partner Rob made whilst living in London.
In 2012 we made the decision to move from the city to rural West Wales. We came with a vision and intention of being self sufficient, of living gently on the land and of creating a space of love and healing for ourselves and for others. Mixed into that was our belief that the world was heading for a 'meltdown'. We didn't know precisely what the meltdown would be, but we knew it was inevitable if our systems, structures and behaviours remained the same.
Our vision was to be able to grow our own food, to provide our own fuel, to offer the space we would call home to others also in which to stop, rest, re-connect to nature, re-claim and re-wild the true nature of who we all are.
I am deeply grateful that I am in rural West Wales. The land is profoundly healing. I can think of no where else I would rather be, in 'normal' circumstances and especially now in April 2020.
However, in this lockdown I am missing people, I miss the human connection from friendship, from speaking face to face, from hugging in welcome, from dancing around a fire together, from sitting round the kitchen table and laughing at each others stories. I am missing the moment a person arrives here for the first time and instantly breathes more deeply, smiles and begins to shake off the shackles of the energy sapping world, welcoming in the energy of the giving world from Mother Earth.
I day dream about the time to come, when I can greet a woman once again who has arrived to be on retreat. Who has chosen to honour the amazing person she is and has stepped away from the stress and juggling of life to invite in some spaciousness in which to hear the buzzing of bees and the flowing of the stream. To feel the air on her skin and the grass beneath her feet. To see the wild flowers and the ancient oaks. To fall asleep to the sound of the owls and to awaken to bird song.
Being in nature has always been vital to our well-being but it has been forgotten and we have neglected our need to be connected to the earth. Now, more than ever, we must each learn to nurture and nourish ourselves. We must learn to listen to our inner voice, to know what makes our Soul sing and to heal our wounding. I have come to call this 'The Art of Self Care and Love'.
Whilst on a writers retreat in February, I was prompted to ask myself what I wanted to create for myself, my readers and for the world. What came through was directly related to 'The Art of Self Care and Love'. It was 'Awakening from the slumber of distraction' and 'Breathe to a different rhythm'.
As I felt into those statements, the following flowed.
A Manifesto for Well-Being: The aim of which is to infuse the sentiment of self care and love through an intention to choose to live a life that embraces
Tree Hugging
Barefoot Walking
Naked Dancing
Fireside Storytelling
Full Moon Howling
Dark Moon Dreaming
These 6 elements are all embedded in a Soulful connection and love for Mother Earth, for each other and for ourselves.
I will be sharing practices for each element over the coming months.