^{image by mandyee}

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Eilidh McKenzie is based in Glasgow and says . . .

An exclusive invitation to 5Five Artists at The Western Baths on Thursday 03 December, then the weekend of the 5th/6th December at the WASPS studios, 77 Hanson Street, just off Alexander Parade, this is where I have my studio, then at Langside College on the 9th December.

Oh what do you bring

Such grey chilly days

Or a nearer new spring

It’s not that I’m wishing my one life away

It’s just that I needed some sunshine today !

 
In all honesty I feel deeply saddened to realise that my capacity for feeling joy seems to have left me. I cannot allow it to be a permanent fixture. I am exploring many avenues along which I may re-kindle the gift of joy that is innately given in human being. Sometimes we lose things if we are not careful and conscious. Sometimes other people take them from us when we are too dependant or too vulnerable to know better than allow them to. Sometimes we just have to focus on recovering our capacities no matter however or whyever they have gone. So, I am in recovery. I have emailed a fabulous sounding one-to-one yoga teacher, am seriously considering one or all of: cranio-sacral therapy, hypnotherapy, a n other workshop or course and taking up running - and am definitely going to invest in a radical new haircut this week.

These are some words I wrote rather a long time ago - and find I am taking my own best advice !
 

All the answers we seek lie within us, and at the same time the intrinsic interdependency of humanity means that there are always times when we need to look outside ourselves for inspiration, support and insights to uncover these answers.

 
In the meantime I might just get some window paints and paint a big yellow sun on my window !!!!!!!
 

For meetome services go here: meetome

Spirituality is a concept most people - even the non-religious - have a sense of. There are many ways in which individuals and groups define the concept, my definition is an amalgamation of various definitions I have come across in my life to date and is this: ‘Values that maximize love and kindness, generosity and compassion, ecological and ethical behaviour, that enhance our capacities to respond to other human beings as inherently (and not just instrumentally) valuable, and to respond to the universe with awe, wonder and radical amazement at the grandeur of all that is. It is a true appreciation of the intrinsic interconnectedness of everything. Spiritual needs are those such as needs for conceptual knowledge, self-esteem, education and art: these values are spiritual in the sense that they primarily pertain to consciousness, and contribute to survival by helping reason to function properly.’

When the vast majority of people really get this, the climate will change for the better. Every action counts. We must accept that lots of ‘old’ jobs have to go, they are no longer relevant or helpful. So, change your job, walk more, buy local, grow your own, make your own, wear more jumpers, invest in renewable energy sources for your buildings, spend more time contemplating, reflecting and meditating, recycle, re-use, compost. On Thursday 15 October 2009 do one thing differently that means you use less of the earth’s energy and more of your own - that is the kindest and most deeply spiritual thing you can do.

Written with love - allways.

For meetome services go here: meetome

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It has been and still is a beautiful summer. The Western Isles were stunning, the weather more than kind and we came back immensely relaxed and peaceful and with best Scottish tan I’ve ever had !

The grapes are doing marvellously this year, just a little more sun to plump them and we have the best crop yet. It is truly exhilarating. The redcurrants have been cropped. We have had a few blackcurrants from the newly planted bush and there are a few cranberries ripening. Thanks to some of our all wonderful neighbours there are herbs aplenty for the cooking and this week has seen a batch of rhubarb tarts with rhubarb cake having been delicious from the first crop a while ago. We have been pickling beetroot from our fabulous organic veggie box delivery, his loveliness indoors had excelled himself with the baking of excellent bread and totally scrumptious molasses-filled oatie cakes and there is a distinctively different feeling about our ability for good sustainable living.

I am reminded again of the Edwin Markham poem that I have loved for a long time . . .

Earth Is Enough

We men of Earth have here the stuff

Of Paradise - we have enough!

We need no other stones to build

The Temple of the Unfulfilled -

No other ivory for the doors -

No other marble for the floors -

No other cedar for the beam

And dome of man’s immortal dream.

Here on the paths of every-day -

Here on the common human way

Is all the stuff the gods would take

To build a Heaven, to mold and make

New Edens. Ours is the stuff sublime

To build Eternity in time !

For meetome services go here: meetome

The fullsomeness of the bright and beautiful moon, currently an ‘Antares Moon’ with the moon having recently eclipsed one of the two brightest red-supergiant stars in the sky, draws me and my own particular brand of madness out for a short while.

Suffice to say my senses have an added dimension thanks to the reinstatement of sound on my machine, the gratifying wonders of Spotify - check it out, and the discovery of a Proclaimers song I never knew existed: ‘Love can move mountains’.

May you love and understand your own madness, your own sanity and your own unique brand of the human spirit, may peace and love be with us all and may we together move many mountains.

It’s a late call.

How was your ‘Earth Day’ ?

I hope Edwin Markham will forgive me for my alteration:

Earth Is Enough

We kin of Earth have here the stuff

Of Paradise - we have enough!

We need no other stones to build

The Temple of the Unfulfilled -

No other ivory for the doors -

No other marble for the floors -

No other cedar for the beam

And dome of our immortal dream.

Here on the paths of every-day -

Here on the common human way

Is all the stuff the gods would take

To build a Heaven, to mold and make

New Edens. Ours is the stuff sublime

To build Eternity in time!

Two posts in such rapid succession mean something has happenend.

I never thought I would see the day when Newsnight opened with Alistair Darling, The Chancellor of the Exchequor, as Dorothy. That Jeremy would quote from The Wizard of Oz. And such things would be announced. You heard it here first - the world has officially gone mad.

In times such as these the best of the human spirit must come forth. I continue to offer spiritual leadership in the effort of New Edens.

I give great thanks for the earth that begets, nourishes and sustains us.

Je t’aime.

The name it gives to this part of this season is Trill, every single day has a name. Today is SilkTree and tomorrow is OrchardMasonBee. I was particularly thrilled when it was MajesticLoon on the 11th. It has a star chart; a seasonal guide to planets, stars, and constellations; proportions of daylight and darkness; moon phases; meteorological and terrestrial phenomena; a tide chart; ECOlogical day names and season names; and Gregorian days, dates and months. Because I am an earth girl and a wordsmith, passionate about both, it has thrilled me so much already this year.

Last weekend finally saw a venturing into the garden to tidy up and start planting. This year the slugs and snails will not eat the pumpkins, grapes or courgettes as in the next few days I will be investing in some Nemaslug from the lovely Green Gardener . The excitement of planting and watching things grow is building within me.

Below the beautiful purple blingy heart is a list of varied events and happenings around spring. I hope you find something to interest you, inspire you, and help you grow !

Events and Happenings Around Spring

EFT Workshops

25^th April 2009, 29^th April 2009 and 9^th May 2009

For anyone who wishes to learn this wonderful technique to use on themselves.

EFT also has excellent corporate applications. If it were useful to you to rid your working environment of toxic emotions, or to increase productivity, call Lynda direct to discuss.

For further details, contact: Lynda Kelly, Senior Associate 01475 528996 kellylr8@hotmail.com

Bodhi Events

EARTH RITUALS - residential retreat - by Loch Voil - 24th April - 1st May 2009.

PUBLIC LECTURE: What are the Health and Environmental Benefits of Pasture Fed Foods? - Graham Harvey: author of the Carbon Fields and We want real food. Farmer, agricultural editor of the ‘Archers’.Partick Burgh Hall, Glasgow, Saturday 25th April at 2pm(admission by donation at the door).

CREATIVE & COMPASSIONATE CONFLICT RESOLUTION Saturday 23rd May & Saturday 20th June in Glasgow. Venue tbc.

SINGING & DANCING OUR ECOLOGICAL SELVES Saturday 30th March 10am to 5pm in Glasgow, venue to be confirmed.

Contact: info@bodhi-eco-project.org.uk

Good to Great Conference

Date: Wednesday, June 17-Thursday, June 18, 2009

Venue: Westerwood Hotel and Golf Complex, Cumbernauld

Join the IoD Scotland at a unique event that will show you the opportunities that exist for growth, profit, development and fun, says co-organiser Les Morgan

To book your place at the Good to Great Conference, contact Kate Dow at the Institute of Directors Scotland on 0131 557 5488.

Peace Workshop Series

Event: Workshop Series: Role-Play and Improvisation: A Pathless Path to Peace.

Facilitator: Lee Gershuny, Ph.D., Artistic Director of The Elements World Theatre.

Organiser: Jointly organized by the Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace, EICSP, Scottish Charity SC038996, and, The Elements World Theatre, a company limited by guarantee and registered in Scotland No. 283766, Scottish Charity SC022072.

Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.

Dates: Thursdays, 9, 16, 23, 30 April, 7, 14, 21, 28 May, and 4, 11 June 2009.

Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Workshop: 7pm-9pm.

Event Description: 10 weekly workshops, 2 hours each.

The purpose of this workshop series is to enable participants to make a culture of peace sustainable in their own lives.

Cost: £8/£6 (Concessions) per workshop, £60/£40 (Concessions) for the 10 week series of workshops. For a Registration Form contact: Neill Walker, mesp2009@hotmail.co.uk, 0131 331 4469.

Gig for a Good Cause

Love Music Hate Racism at ABC2, Glasgow Saturday 18th April

Love Music Hate Racism relaunch gig in Glasgow including The Bum Clocks, Punch & The Apostles and compere Tam Dean Burn. ABC2 Sat 18 Apr 7pm.
Rock, Rhythm and Blues, Ska, Soul, Folk, Alternative, Blues, Punk, Big Band, Electronica
Buy tickets from Skiddle.com

With love allways,

Mandy.

Wednesday 22 April

The company was of course divine.

This weekend is the spring equinox. A time to celebrate the renewed life of the earth, to plant, to rejoice in the growing light and cherish the sun.

Enjoy !

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I know people have different feelings about snow, I love it. At last the world outside my window has turned white, and still it keeps coming down. This soft blanket gives me such excitement and peace, feelings I relish and treasure. During a regular and all too brief visit to the wonderful Isle of Mull on Sunday night / Monday, and whilst discussing the official defining statement of World Humanism with the ever delightful S5 and 6’s at Tobermory High School, I was struck by a comment in reponse to the question: ‘what do you think happens if human beings don’t find an effective way to express themselves ?’ Answer: ‘They go mad’. Very perceptive, thought I. I then became enchanted as we did a round robin of how they expressed themselves . . . drawing, singing, dancing, playing the guitar, listening to music - were all amongst the answers.

The snow has inspired me to the expression of writing poetry and tomorrow morning early, when it’s even thicker and deeper I’m going to put on my wellies and go and dance in it !

snow falls, gentle is the night

where in the street light

flake after flake reflects itself against the glow

bright white flecks that dance and land

the sumptuous carpet grand

a thick and deepening pile

beguiling the beauty of it all

one element of nature’s bounty

the winter gift that shouts

get out, get out, get out !

forget your worries and your cares

play with me as if this is all there is

and so with skin a-tingle

mingle with the wet and fluffy crystals

until you know you are a part of something simple and immense

a basic sense

of life in all it’s glory

just now a gentle night-time story

that is still

Sleep well beautiful beings, one and all.

Be well, go well, keep well.

In peace and love allways,

Mandy.

       Wednesday 22 April