Fear-full

Letting Go

Garden of the Gods, Lana'i, Hawaii

Gillian Cornwall, c December 2102

How many people reading this have enough to eat every day?

How many own your homes or have a place to which you can go no matter what happens in your life?

How many of you have steady incomes or are self-employed with sufficient income? 

How many of us have at least one person we an call a friend?

How many are afraid of losing what they have?

How many would do just about anything to keep what they have no matter how it impacted others?

These are some of the questions I have been asking myself lately. As some of you know, I am in a time of income uncertainty. I could find myself in fairly dire straits should I not find work. 

This has raised questions in me with respect to privileged humanity's state of fear in the early 21st century. The privileged in North America and in financially and politically stable nations around the globe have enjoyed a great deal of breathing room and financial comfort for some time; however, there appears to be a change afoot. the earth is moving below peoples' feet and they are holding on to what they have for dear life as the shaking begins and possessions start to topple. 

A certain political clown in a nearby nation to me is causing said nation to lose its status as world political leader as it swirls the drain as some terrible cosmic joke that it created for itself. This will have a massive global impact. "Curiouser and curiouser" - to quote Lewis Carroll. 

Individually, for some of us, our situation is tenuous and we hold ourselves there through fear of loss, by being fear-full. Politics and news drive us to maintain this through their fear-mongering and conjuring of images and words that drive us into passive fear and a desire to follow, to keep, to hold what we have known....

What if the ways we have known are not the best ways? What if they are not the most sustainable ways? What if it is one giant dog and pony show that fictionalizes our true well-being into a fortress of "Work, pay and rest." Not so very long ago our work was entirely for ourselves. pre-industrial revolution, we created that which we required and desired to live. WE made our homes, our food, our families ourselves. We skipped the middle man, the boss, the company that pays us to now buy that which we require. Is it easier? Perhaps. But it takes twice as long to get to the result and it takes us away from our families, our children, our Elders. This weird way we have created for ourselves has forced us into working for more, a bottomless pit into which we pour our lives in order to have more, provide more, get more education - to GET AHEAD. Ahead of what? Your neighbour? To get the better job? The more money to buy more stuff? 

Too complicated. We have made our lives way too complicated and it has made us fear-full of losing what we have. It's made us fear-full that we have done the wrong thing. I think we are running even faster just to prove it was the right choice, the best way. Perhaps it is time for me, for all of us, to take a beat. STOP. THINK. REST. Play with your kids or your friends. STOP. Give some of what you have to someone else - as an act of goodness or just to see what it brings up in you.

Does giving make you feel that the person now owes you or was it truly a gift? Does giving away that which you earned and possess make you fear-full? 

Breathe. Let go of the fear a little. I know it's hard. I struggle with it every single minute of every day right now. Look around at the heaven in which we exist. give something back to the Mother Earth that sustains you today. Plant a tree. tend the earth. Pick up trash of the beach. Put some water out for the bees and birds and butterflies. Breathe. Let go of being full of fear. Replace it with being full of joy, love, gratitude. Try it for a minute. 

Love to each of you.

Gillian Cornwall, c. July 16, 2017

Bruce. Munro Trail

Lana'i, Hawaii

Gillian Cornwall, c. December 2012

Love in the Thought

Rainbow Steps

Gillian Cornwall, c. Spring 2015

This is in particular dedication to the 49 who were murdered and the more than 50 who were injured by a single gunman at Pulse gay nightclub in the early hours of June 12, 2016 (CBC News). May we find ways to love and keep the light, in the face of fear, anger and hate. With love and condolences to the friends and loved ones who remain in the wake of this heinous act. 

"The thought manifests as the word,

The word manifests as the deed,

The deed develops into habit,

And the habit hardens into character.

So watch the thought and its way with care,

And let it spring from love

Born out of concern for all beings."

K. Sri Dhammananda
-How to Live Without Fear and Worry

There is no light so great as the light of the universe that shines through me. With this light, I have all that I need. That which is not held cannot be taken. I will continue to walk my path of truth regardless of the decisions of others. I cannot be made to act against my heart. The light of life shines through me eternal. There is peace in this. No matter what is said or done around me, I act in my best truth and light. The breath of all that is and ever has been or will be flows through me. I am one with all. Peace and light are my path.

Gillian Cornwall, rewritten, June 12, 2016

Original post, May 24, 2012

Above all else, let there be love.

Gillian Cornwall, c. 2015

LOVE. What is it?

 Spring Bouquet

Gillian Cornwall, c. 2011

Ah love, amour, the passion of the heart! Odes are written to it, people die for it, statues and edifices are built to it, but what the blazes is it actually and why is it causing such a kerfuffle?

Is it what happens between the sheets?

 Gumby and Pokey - cuddling ...that is all.

Gillian Cornwall, c. 2012

Is it a feeling like you have gone to heaven because someone makes you feel all funny inside?

Is it a walk with someone on a Spring day, thinking of all the wonders you have shared and will share, today and ever more?

 Spring in Victoria, BC

Gillian Cornwall, c. 2011

LOVE.

What is it, anyway?

All I have is this, as we pass Valentine's Day in whatever state of togetherness or separateness from another human:

Love is energy. It is the energy that is constant, just as in physics. It is an energy that cannot be taken away. It may change along the way. It may shift from one way of being to another but it is eternal regardless of its form. 

If we think of love as energy, as the energy of the universe, that flows through us, that is all around us, then perhaps we can let go of fear a little. Perhaps we can breath more deeply, (for holding tightly serves no-one) and let love, energy, flow through us freely. In this way, like a fountain, we will always be full. There will always be enough. We will have nothing to lose. 

Let us be brave. Let us love freely and kindly without holding. As far as people go, if we truly love someone, we must be brave when they need to go and wish them luck on their paths. Love means we want others to be happy. We want them to follow their dreams and sometimes that means letting go of the physical connection and letting their energy continue to flow through our hearts. It does not mean there is no longer love between the two, it only means that energy has shifted and changed shape. In this, there is no real loss. 

Fine for me to say! I know, I'm no expert. Have I hurt when someone has left? Heck, yes! What helped? -realizing that they weren't leaving me; they were just leaving. We cannot take on the actions of others; we can only control our own actions and reactions. Do we love only as a result of someone loving us or is it something we choose to give freely, without expectation, without holding? That is for each of us to decide as we walk our own paths of love. 

May your love day be everyday. May your love expand your heart rather than cause it pain and depletion. May we all hold hands around the world, for many threads woven together make a strong cloth. 

-Gillian Cornwall, c. February 15, 2015

 "Bamboo is flexible, bending with the wind but never breaking, capable of adapting to any circumstance. It suggests resilience, meaning that we have the ability to bounce back, even from the most difficult times.... Your ability to thrive, depends, in the end, on your attitude to life circumstances. Take everything in stride with grace, putting forth energy when it is needed, yet always staying calm inwardly." 

~ Ping Fu, Author of Bend, Not break: A Life in Two Worlds

If you are enjoying my blog posts, please take five minutes to offer your support in the Blogger category for the 2015 Shorty Awards. Nominations close on February 19, 2015. Thank you! Click here to offer your nomination/vote:

Solomon's Kitten - Book Review

Cover of Solomon's Kitten by Sheila Jeffries

Available through Amazon

Published by

Simon and Schuster Ltd - November 6, 2014

Author Sheila Jeffries has made us believe that she is, in fact, a cat, for no human could have written such a story without being embodied in this dear, sweet animal to express her story so well! So, Sheila Jeffries, how do you type with your wee paws?

Seriously, this is an incredible tale of life, love and compassion - a story of how a small fur person with a giant spirit can teach us more about compassion and love than many of our human kind. It is also a page turner - I couldn't put it down! I ploughed through it in 3 nights and went right back to the first page to enjoy it more slowly for a second time.

As a parent, I would read this book with younger family members to help them understand some of the difficult issues outlined in the story - those issues we hear about, perhaps in the news or within our own lives, but rarely have opportunity to discuss or talk through as a family. This story presents opportunities to stop, to think about how we love and how we listen to one another and to all of the living creatures with whom we share our world.

A perfect book for the holidays. Don't miss this one and, while you are at it, make sure you pick up Sheila Jeffries previous book, Solomon's Tale, for Solomon is the father of Tallulah, the kitten in this story. These will become classics. They are well-written and beautiful - hmm, do I see a movie in the future of these lovely beings?

I hope you will give yourself the opportunity to read Sheila's books. It is wonderful to be a part of a world where such great gifts are created to be shared. Wishing each of you a week filled with the magic of a book, a story to take you away and put you in the shoes (or paws) of another for awhile, for this is one way we can learn and share our stories of life, loss and love.

For those of you out there working away on your own stories in order to finish and hopefully publish - I wish you love and learning on the journey and the special pride that comes with completing and knowing it is your best.

To all of you who buy, read and share the stories those of us write, thank you. Without you, the circle is not complete.

With wishes for a beautiful week ahead - peace and love and light to each of you.

-Gillian Cornwall, c. November 23, 2014

 Princess

The fur person in my life

Gillian Cornwall, c. 2014

Take Me to the Forest

PKOLS - Saanich, BC

Gillian Cornwall, c. 2012

Take me to PKOLS after a summer rain to wander amid the forest of Douglas fir, big leaf maple, western red cedar, Pacific dogwood and yew. Douglas Creek winds deep through the valley below in the place where the faeries reside under giant mushrooms, bouncing on fern fronds and dangling their slim faerie legs from the white fungus outcroppings of these mighty rain forest giants. 

Take me where the trees whisper stories of those who rose from the land, for I am a visitor here on the lands of the WSANEC peoples and I am grateful to share the wealth of this place with all of the life of the the land and sea provided by our universal mother. 

When I lose my connection, when my path grows dark, it is to this forest I return. This is where I remember to breathe deeply - Douglas Creek reminding me of how it all flows, sometimes with less, sometimes with more. I remember how blessed I am when I press my palm to the mossy trunk of the mighty cedar and scan her connection from earth to sky. I walk the beach below, placing my hands in the water, knowing my intention can travel the globe this way as I send love to all, thanking the perfect Salish Sea for carrying my wishes beyond my reach. 

Douglas Creek - PKOLS

Gillian Cornwall, c. 2012

The sound of the sea, the cry of the gull, the waving flag of the big leaf maple, the scent of cedar and fir, senses heightened to the truth: we have all we need. Unpack your fear and anger here. Lay yourself out on the pebbles and sand surrounded by ribbons of bull kelp and eelgrass, crab and seastar. The sea otters and seals will watch over you. Let the tide wash you clean and be grateful to the great mother for listening and stroking your fears away. Give thanks and a promise that you will care for her and the life she provides for your sustenance - spiritual, physical and mental. Say hello to all those who have come before you and those who have passed. Thank them for the beautiful lessons of their lives and learn to be free of the chains of fear and loss. 

This place, this land, this forest - I am so grateful for all I have, for every breath, for my life. Take me to the forest, to the sea, so I might wash myself clean and give thanks.

I dedicate this post to Zack Downey and the Downey family. Tania, Wayne and Brooklyn have lost a son and a brother way too soon. I will not forget Zack's bravery and his dedication to life and the love of his friends, family and team mates.

-Gillian Cornwall, c. June 29, 2014

The Salish Sea from the Saanich shore

Gillian Cornwall, c. 2012

The Beach

Gillian Cornwall, c. 2012