Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘personal growth’ Category

Looking sideways

Posted in creativity, from the dark room, from the living room, life, neuroscience, perception, personal growth, science on June 23, 2015| 1 Comment »

angel flower

Doesn’t this flower look a bit like an angel?

Or a butterfly if you can’t imagine what an angel might look like!

I read recently that our retinas only register colour in the central 30 degrees of visual field ….the fact that we see a full panorama in colour (even out the edges of our vision) is due to our ability to make up what we are seeing.

Really?

I know that seems a bit incredible, but when you stop to think about it, our eyes convert light energy into electro-chemical signals which are then processed by the neurones in our brains for us to “see” anything, so maybe it’s not such a surprise that we are responsible for “colouring in” most of what we see!

We are incredibly creative organisms with fabulous bodies and powerful imaginations.

Mark Twain said

a person cannot depend on the eyes when imagination is out of focus

Read Full Post »

the beginning of summer

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, personal growth, philosophy, photography, psychology, science on June 22, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday was the summer solstice. Or to be more globally correct, the “northern solstice”.

I also know that if you live in Scotland, you’d know yesterday was “midsummer’s day” (Although I suspect you’ll have looked out the window and thought “What??!!”)

However, here in France, yesterday is known as the first day of summer. Either way, it was “the longest day”.

Just after the sun set on the longest day I took this photo from my garden. If you look carefully you can see the moon, Jupiter (just to the right of the moon), and Venus (a bit further to the right). In fact, Jupiter and Venus are moving closer together in the night sky and will converge completely on June 30th.

Were there any celebrations where you live this weekend? Or did you mark this day in some personal way?

I ask because a time like this offers a great opportunity to connect yourself more consciously to the rhythms of the Earth and our solar system.

Deliberately connecting to what is greater than you is a lovely way to develop your quality of your life.

Read Full Post »

X

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, personal growth, photography on June 21, 2015| 2 Comments »

In my A to Z of Becoming, I’ve reached the letter “x” again. In Part 1, I took “Xcite” and in part 2, “Xtole” – both, of course, are a play on “x”. I couldn’t think of a verb really beginning with “x” (and, no, I don’t think “xylophone” is a verb meaning to play a “xylophone”, as in “I’m just off to do some xylophoning”)

So this time around I thought I would take “x” as a verb in its own right. What do you think of when you see an “x”?

It has many meanings for us. It can represent a choice. I recently placed an “x” in a box on a voting paper. It can represent a crossroad coming up if we see it on a road sign. It can represent “incorrect”, the opposite of a tick.

But I use “x” mostly as a signifier of love.

You know the way people sign off a communication, whether its birthday greetings in a card, or even a short sms or whatsapp message. Do you do that? If you do, how many such kisses do you use? One, two or three? Or more? And do you vary the number of kisses you give on the basis of the depth of the feeling you have? Or is it just a routine you don’t even notice you are doing?

You know one of the themes of my posts is about awareness and making active choices, so I’m going to suggest two things this week based on “x for kiss”.

One is notice when you write an “x” this week. Pause for a second and ask yourself why you’re doing it, what you feel about the person you are writing to, and just get in touch for a few seconds with the love you feel. Then press send. (Or put the card in the envelope)

The second is give more kisses.

A common sign off in France is “bisous” – which is French for kiss – sometimes that is the word at the end of a greeting, sometimes it is followed by some “x”s. In France, as in many other European countries it is common to greet people you know with kisses – one on each cheek, or three (and if it is three do you start and finish on the left or the right? I haven’t figured that out yet!)

I have “k” for “kiss” in my A to Z so I won’t say more about kissing today.

Enjoy becoming aware of your “x”s this week!

Read Full Post »

Reflecting on flow

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, personal growth, philosophy, photography on June 20, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Lillies on the Charente

I took this photo during a boat trip down the Charente river.

I think it’s interesting to see the smoothness of the ripples on the water – this seems so characteristic of this river as it flows through the Charente region of France.

And I think it is amazing to experience the way this characteristic of this geographical feature seems to influence the whole quality of life of this part of the world. There’s an emphasis on slow, on patience and persistence, and on natural seasonal ways of life here. This is the part of the world where I first heard the phrase “Soyons Zen” – meaning “let’s be zen” – a phrase which encapsulates the qualities of being both and present.

Such a river really inspires reflection on the flow of life.

Read Full Post »

Looking after the wee ones

Posted in education, from the consulting room, from the dark room, from the living room, from the viewing room, health, life, personal growth, photography, psychology, science, video on June 18, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Swans

I bet there’s a good chance you will look at this photo and it will touch your heart.

Looking after wee ones is SO important.

I wonder if we really honour and respect that enough?

Are our societies structured in the way which allows the wee ones to grow and thrive, to reach their full potential?

I think the solutions will lie in developing our heart intelligence, but we need our brain intelligence too.

For a data-driven, brain-focused approach, here’s a video of a presentation by Sir Harry Burns who was Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer until last year. It’s almost half an hour long, and some of it is pretty technical, but Harry Burns is expert at delivering the messages in clear, simple ways. I think the first twenty minutes or so of this presentation will startle you if you haven’t seen this kind of analysis before. The takeaway message is that the way we structure our society, in particular in the physical, emotional and social environments we create, powerfully influences the health and illness paths of individuals right from conception (or earlier?) and the first few months of life. (The last ten minutes or so of this particular presentation goes off into the “patient safety programme” – which is a different issue – in my opinion)

Read Full Post »

Delight

Posted in creativity, from the dark room, from the living room, life, personal growth, photography on June 16, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Bubbles in Cognac

Because we are living in a connected universe, everything we do has an impact. Sometimes that impact seems small, and at other times it seems pretty huge. Even what seems a small difference at the moment it occurs goes on to have effects which can multiply and set off chains of events far and wide.

The other day, as I wandered through the streets of Cognac, I was suddenly aware of lots of bubbles in the air. When I looked up to see where they were coming from I saw someone had set up a bubble machine on their window sill, to make bubbles and send them off down the street all day long.

What is it about bubbles that enchants us so?

It seems they induce smiles, a sense of playfulness, and a lightening of the heart.

Thank you whoever set up the bubble machine. The bubbles delighted me.

I wonder what my smiles, my lightness of heart and my playfulness brought into the world….

Read Full Post »

Hanging together

Posted in from the consulting room, from the dark room, from the living room, health, life, personal growth, philosophy, photography, psychology, science on June 15, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Ducks!

For the best part of a century now there has been a huge emphasis on competitiveness in Nature. The story we have been sold is “survival of the fittest”, which some authors have taken to a whole new level – not just survival of the fittest organs but survival of the fittest DNA (see “The Selfish Gene”).

But my lifetime experience as a doctor has led me to see more clearly the importance of co-operation.

If a person’s cells or organs are all fighting each other for resources and energy then I’m not sure they’d be feeling that healthy.

Bodies work best when everything works together.

When our cells and our organs each do what they do best, and work in harmony with each other, then we have a healthy body. It’s a principle which, in recent years, has been called “integration” – where well differentiated parts build mutually enhancing bonds.

Same thing applies for a whole person (and by that I mean more than just the body) – where the different parts of a being hang together well, the person is healthy. Think of your personality for example. It’s likely you will be aware of having many different strands, facets or “modes” – how you are with your parents, how you are with friends, how you are at work and so on, are likely to be distinctly different. If each of those aspects of your personality are at war with each other you’re likely to feel disturbed. However, if there are mutually beneficial links between those parts of you, you’ll feel “whole”, “integrated” or “in harmony”.

Same thing applies for groups of us. Maybe what has made human beings so successful on this planet is not that we can compete against other creatures so successfully, but that we can co-operate so well.

I think that’s true of all of Nature. These little ducks heading off on an adventure down the Charente, seem a pretty well integrated little group to me!

I’m not saying competition doesn’t exist. Of course it does. I’m just wondering if we’ve over-blown its importance, and in the process, forgotten what might be more important – hanging together!

 

Read Full Post »

Wondering and wandering

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, personal growth, photography on June 14, 2015| Leave a Comment »

In my A to Z of Becoming, W can stand for wonder.

Wonder is one of my favourite verbs. To wonder involves being curious. It involves being open to be amazed. And it involves a boost to your imagination, provoking dreams, fantasies and daydreams.

When I was a little boy my parents told me that the fuchsia flowers were like tiny ballerinas and that notion has remained with me since.

Look at these beautiful little flowers, sparkling in the rain. Aren’t they just a bit like little dancers with their pink dresses and their arms stretched out? (It never bothered me that they all have more than two legs! The imagination allows for such “discrepancies”!)

fuschia

I was musing about the French word “flâner” recently – it kind of means to stroll around. But today, when I was thinking of “wondering” the word “wandering” popped into my head and I thought that’s another nice aspect of “flâner” – so, something which has a good chance of provoking some wondering is to go wandering –

The coming storm

The little streets of Cognac, like so many of the historic old towns in France, seem designed to induce wandering, but I’m sure there are places near where you live where you can have a good wander too.

Before you go, here’s a crop of a photo I took the other day. It got me wondering, but even as simply an image I think it can get you wondering (not least wondering what you are looking at!)

DSCN3809

Read Full Post »

Life of the spirit

Posted in creativity, from the dark room, from the living room, from the music room, life, music, personal growth, photography on June 13, 2015| 1 Comment »

Take me to the church

I think you can look at various elements in this photo and be stimulated to reflect on the “life of the spirit” – in the countryside, in the vines, in the barrels!, in the “place of worship”, in the sky, in the sea…..

When I first looked at this photo I heard this song in my head (I like this version from Postmodern Jukebox) –

ooh! And you can FEEL it in this music!

So, how about you? What does “life of the spirit” mean to you?

What stirs the invisible in you?

Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les jeux. Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

Read Full Post »

Water and beauty

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, perception, personal growth, philosophy, photography, science on June 12, 2015| 1 Comment »

I have a fascination for water.

When I look up I see clouds – which seem so solid but are really so transient. On this particular day (the photograph above) there was a storm coming, and I think you can see the seeds of it in these clouds.

But waves are also fascinating.

Again, they look so solid, but for such brief periods of time. You can follow a wave with your gaze and without doubt it looks as if an coherent body of molecules is traveling together over the surface of the sea. But it isn’t! The wave is an energy pattern and as it passes through the water it moves the molecules up and down in a kind of circular motion. The wave which arrives on the shore is not “made of” the same water molecules which it seemed to be made of when you first spotted it heading towards the land.

Clouds and waves.

Such brilliant demonstrations of the most essential characteristics of our lives.

Both are transient but while they exist they seem quite solid.

Both are created by energy patterns which we can’t see, although we clearly see the effects these creative “forces” have.

Both are made of patterns of molecules which hang together for a period of time but are in fact being replaced constantly.

It might seem a stretch to think of our bodies this way, but we too are “made of” constantly changing patterns of molecules. We too are the brief manifestation of underlying invisible forces and energies.

We, too, are beautiful and fascinating. (And, yes, that includes YOU)

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »