We often confuse compassion with empathy yet they are different. Of course empathy is really important if we are to stand any chance of being in real relationship with another. Our ability to suspend judgement and assumption, to connect and to have a felt sense of the other person’s world however incomplete, enables us to...
‘Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfilment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.’ Martin Luther King Jr In our full on and seemingly broken world it can be immensely difficult to listen to our heart,...
We all know that love is a word, a sentiment, a feeling that we most closely associate with loved ones, family, friends and so on. We don’t often use it in a wider context within say our work life or our wider connections. Some of this could be because we have confined our understanding of...
As each day brings us more difficult news about the state of our world it would be easy to withdraw, to hide, even to wither under the onslaught, especially if this is layered on top of more personal challenges in our daily lives. Yet now, as never before, hiding isn’t an option. We need to...
‘We have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place.’ Jane Goodall For some of us the search for our unique purpose, beyond simply getting by in life, can take years. For others it is apparent and accessible with relative ease. Whilst we each express our purpose,...
We are experiencing a lot of buffeting in these times…buffeting which can disturb our inner equilibrium which in turn can affect how we show up in the world….our Presence. Maintaining an inner and higher point of focus can help us guard against this buffeting as we dis-identify from the outer effects (things breaking, technology playing...
In a difficult world it may seem easier and more prudent to narrow down and protect what we have rather than opening to possibility. The pervasive sense of threat in our world plays on our minds and the rationality of the ego kicks in, often making defensive and limiting choices. Somehow, we have to put...
Speaking about the heart or love is so often associated with being mushy and soft and yet in truth the heart is like a warrior with infinite capacity to face any situation however challenging. The heart is where we hold every moment of our lives, every experience, every feeling and emotion whether we deem them...
In the past few days I’ve been struck by the story of the stranger who noticed a man sitting on a bench outside a coffee shop in some distress – vomiting and sweating. As others passed by – perhaps avoiding someone they may have assumed had drunk a little too much – this woman stopped...
Humanity is and has been in a profound time of mental activity and development of its intellect – this has been going on for several hundred years in this current level of intensity. We see it present in the ever-growing activity in Science, Medicine, Technology, Engineering and so on. We want to know about our...