Change your thinking…
Change your life…
Shooting Stars Spearheading
a New World Order
W
elcome to this the first Spring
issue of New Vision. We hope
that by offering New Vision in this
new quarterly form we are working
with, and listening to you and to the
Spirit of the times.
What is the New Life? We can look
at it as the ‘second birth’, the awakening of the soul to its innate divinity.
It was the Master Jesus who said:
‘And no man putteth new wine into
old bottles else the new wine dost burst
the bottles and the wine is spilled and
the bottles will be marred: but the new
wine must be put into new bottles.’ By
many, the end of the Mayan Calendar in 2012 was seen as the end of a
cycle and the beginning of a new one.
Many civilizations have recognised
Great Ages or cycles of time. The
Greeks recognised a Golden, Silver,
Bronze and Iron Age. The Hindus
too recognise equivalent periods of
time called ‘Yugas’. Each can be seen
as an unfolding of consciousness.
When a transition from one state
to another, or one age to another, is
about to take place, there are signs
of unrest. The ‘clothes’ that once
fitted so well no longer fit and we
begin to feel confined and unable
to express ourselves freely. If this is
true for the individual, it is true for
society at large. It therefore becomes
imperative that we find new vehicles
for the expression of life. Whether
we are talking about individuals or
larger groups and countries, if we
cannot find new vehicles for expression we become stale and cease to
feel truly alive.
As new ideas ‘push’ to be born and
new life seeks to find a way through,
there is invariably a corresponding backlash from elements within
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
ourselves and within society which
are darned if they will change! The
more threatened we feel by change,
the greater will be the wall we build
behind which to hide. Many of us
recognise that this stems from fear.
A movement back to what is known
is the equivalent of trying to put new
wine into old sacks. No matter how
much we try to push our new ideas
into safe and well known square
holes, as any child knows, it will not
work! Just remember the frustration
generated when as toddlers we attempted to force a shape into a space
which didn’t fit!
We can see how organisations, societies and whole countries become
unable to move forward because of
the stranglehold of outmoded dogmas. Some regimes may use brutal
force to impose ideas on their peoples
despite domestic and international
condemnation. As a result, bodies
like the UN and organisations like
Amnesty International, have grown
up to defend the rights of all people.
We, too, can make a tremendous difference by supporting the wealth of
organisations promoting the welfare
of all. We can also make our presence count through online bodies,
like Avaaz, which is a community
based campaigning organisation.
Most of all, by following our Star –
our spiritual path, we can help raise
humankind.
There are some shining stars –
‘shooting stars’ – who, through their
courageous thoughts and actions,
have lit up the sky. Their wish is always to embrace timeless truths and
‘find a better way’. I want to mention
two of these outstanding souls. First,
the well known Burmese opposition
politician, Aung San Suu Kyi, who
in 1991 won the Nobel Peace Prize
Congressional Medal of Honour.
Her vision for Burma meant that she
was under house arrest from 1989 to
her release on 13 November 2010.
Through her reforms she has ushered in a new and better chapter in
the life of Burma. She has achieved
this at the expense of years of deprivation and personal sadness when
she was unable to leave
Burma to be
at the bedside of her
husband, Dr
Michael Aris,
a s h e l a y By helping others,
you will learn how to
dying.
help yourselves.
Aung
San Suu Kyi
I also want
to mention
another shining star – Brother Paul
McAuley. Br. McAuley was born in
Portsmouth and is, or was, a member
of a Catholic teaching Order. I am
unable to find any recent reports
but Br. McAuley lives, or did live, in
Peru and is revered by indigenous
peoples for his actions to help Amazonian tribes resist the incursion of
oil, gas and mining companies into
the rainforest. In 2010, Peru ordered
his expulsion. He was awarded the
MBE for setting up schools in Lima,
but later gave the medal away. Now
he says that if he had it he would return it to the Queen to protest against
British companies’ involvement in
the Amazon.
We can each light up the night sky
because we all come from the same
Divine Source. May the new life be
ours as we awaken to the reality of
the Truth that does not change. U
1
Bosham House News
New Vision quarterly –
Monthly e-newsletter –
please advise us of your email
address or send sae
For your interest we are publishing
some of the comments we received
in relation to the frequency of New
Vision.
21st December 2012 –
marking the ‘Cosmic Moment’
5k
Wildlife Pond and Bog
Garden Fund
The Fund continues to grow and
currently stands at £2,614.54.
Our target is £5,000, so we are
getting there! It is hoped that
the pond will become a reality
this year, but we just need to
get closer to our target. All the
wildlife and insect life in the
area are on the edge of their
seats waiting for the installation.
It will provide them with a source
of nourishment and much needed
habitat.
Lighting candles at the
Winter Solstice
Despite the very cold weather on
the 22nd December, we were able to
welcome a few hardy souls, but we
know that so many of you joined
us in spirit. We thank you for that.
Our beautiful table was covered in a
sea of candles, each one burning for
4k
3k
2k
1k
W
elcome to the first of our brand
new quarterly issues. These
will unfold with the seasons, and
indeed mark the seasons. We hope
that you will continue to enjoy a
spiritual feast. We much appreciate
your letters and feedback. Thank
you all.
We are grateful to many of you
who shared your views about the
frequency of New Vision. Most
of you appreciated that, in view
of rising costs, it is necessary to
publish quarterly, at least for the
time being. Many of you wrote to
say that you were relieved that you
were not losing ‘the lovely New
Vision’. Some of you commented
that you were pleased as you already
received a surfeit of reading matter.
A small number of you elected for
an increase in membership fee so
that six issues could continue to be
received. In the light of these views,
we will now publish New Vision
quarterly. However, to keep you
up-to-date with news and views, we
will be introducing an e-newsletter.
This will come to you periodically
and indeed the first newsletter has
already gone out. If you would like to
receive this newsletter, please contact
us with your email address. If you
do not have email, it is possible to
receive the newsletter by post. Please
send an sae and we will gladly send
you a copy of the existing newsletter
by return. If you would like to
receive newsletters on a regular basis
we would be most grateful if you
could simply send a book of stamps
or a donation to cover postage.
2
your loved ones. We received many
requests for lighting candles. Your
words were read out by Elizabeth,
Coralie and Jenny and a candle
was lit. It was a very beautiful and
dignified ceremony. We thank you
for showing your love in this way
and we know that this light went
out and warmed the hearts of those
we love. We would like to thank
Coralie Mellor for her skilful display
of evergreen garlands from the
garden and Sue Attridge’s seasonal
handmade garlands. They were
particularly lovely and these were
placed outside the office and the hall.
We are grateful to Noel Raine and
the New Vision Lightworkers for
taking the initiative and marking
the ‘Cosmic Moment’ on 21.12.12
at 11.11 am. As many of you are
aware, 2012 was the end of one of the
Mayan calendars. This moment was
said to be peculiarly significant when
‘the portals of heaven would be open
to pour unimaginable high frequency
light onto us.’ Many shining souls
joined in the occasion and, in fact,
Hamblin Hall very nearly ran out of
chairs! A big ‘thank you’ to all those
who attended to make this moment
a moment to remember.
The Lightworkers continue to meet
on the second Saturday of each
month. Visitors are very welcome.
At the meetings, meditation takes
place around midday and readers are
invited to join in, wherever they are,
by adding their intent and energy to
the group in blessing the world with
Light, Love and Healing.
Your Christmas offerings & cards
We would like to thank you for
your wonderful support of our
work through the many letters and
Christmas cards we received. We
are sorry that we were unable to
reciprocate with a card of our own
to each of you, but we truly rejoiced
as we opened each card.
During our midday prayers on
November 27 th, a parcel arrived
addressed to, ‘The Office Angels’.
The timing was miraculous as we
were just about to give thanks for
three things, which is our custom
during prayers. The parcel contained
bulbs from Amsterdam, biscuits and
sweets; what a wonderful surprise! U
The New Life
Thank you for
caring enough
We would like to thank you, our
friends and members, for your
comments on the frequency of New
Vision. Below are extracts from a
number of letters and emails we
have received. We are sorry that we
are unable to publish every letter.
We are very grateful to those of you
who shared your views with us.
Dear Elizabeth, The November/December issue of
New Vision has many interesting
articles. I enjoyed the piece about
22 December 2012 and ‘Liberated
by Music’. The theme is of course
very familiar to all of us. I do not
find it difficult to forgive and have
discovered that by forgiving one
feels so much relieved and lighter
oneself. New Vision must continue!
A quarterly publication is a good
solution to be able to go on without
having to increase membership fees.
Mariana Van West De Veer,
Netherlands
Dear Liz
I fully support New Vision becoming
a quarterly publication. This would,
I am sure, help the subscribers. I
do have a strong feeling that New
Vision will grow from strength and
will continue for ever!
Amara Dharmakan, London
Dear Friends
Blessings to you all and heartfelt
thanks for all the thoughtful and
inspiring articles in New Vision
during the year. I would be sad
to lose the bi monthly issue but of
course understand the cost problem.
I look forward to another year of
insightful articles.
Pamela Hann, London
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
Dear Elizabeth,
As feedback is invited on the question
of the frequency of New Vision, this
is my take on the situation: I feel
it is better to produce a quarterly
magazine than to overstretch
ourselves at the present time. When the situation improves for
the better it is then much easier to
return to a bi-monthly edition as the
mechanism is still in place. I feel to
start from scratch would be a much
more difficult proposition.
Margaret Barty, West Sussex
Dear Elizabeth
I particularly liked Josephine Chia’s
piece on developing character
through forgiveness. Yes we grow
in spirit when challenged. I think we
have all felt the stings of unkindness,
they wound. I try to seek the reason
why such people inflict their pain
on others. Often it is that they have
been badly hurt and still struggle to
let go of their suffering and so try to
transfer their pain to others, hoping
for release. I try my best to radiate
love and understanding. As to your
intention to publish quarterly – fine.
Just don’t stop New Vision!
Eileen Reynolds, Cornwall
Dear Elizabeth and Coralie
I am so sorry to hear that you have
lost your beloved and adored furry
friends who have passed on to other
realms. From their photos, one can
see that they are both beautiful and
darling boys.
I very much enjoyed the magazine
on Forgiveness. I was amused to
see the juxtaposition of birth and
death on page 19! A quarterly New
Vision would be a good compromise.
I think from a reader’s point of view,
New Vision would be ever more
welcome when it did arrive. Without
New Vision there would be a big gap
in our reading and spiritual lives. I
enjoy the updates on the garden and
wondered, for those of us who have
so far been unable to visit Bosham,
whether a small sketch layout plan
of the house and grounds might be
included in a future issue? This
would make it easier to visualise.
Jill Boezalt, London
Dear Elizabeth
I would opt for an increase in
subscription rate for New Vision
so as to keep it at six times per year,
unless that simply scares away
too many subscribers. It is such a
unique publication, and the idea
that it might stop is one to help us
find ways to assure that it stays in
place.
Richard Waddell,
Massachusetts, USA
Dear Elizabeth,
I received the latest edition of
New Vision with anticipation. As
usual I was not disappointed as the
magazine is full of inspiration and
interesting articles and features.
However, I was concerned to read the
very existence of this fine magazine
is in jeopardy. In the Bosham House
News columns you set out three
courses of action open to the Trust.
I would respectfully add a couple of
other potential options.
1 To produce the magazine in
the same size and format of the
‘Programme of Events’ publication
thereby significantly reducing costs.
2 Keeping the magazine exactly
in the same format but having
a cover charge of, say, £2.95, payable by separate subscription.
The magazine could then also be
sold and distributed to a much
wider audience. Local shops, coffee
shops etc may gladly support the
Trust and this would also, hopefully,
boost membership.
Clearly, an in-depth cost analysis
would need to be undertaken but
I feel to cease publication would be
a great loss to the readership.
Steve Heffer, Chichester U
3
the hamblin spiritual course
The New Life
When once we have responded
to the call we can never look
back.
W
e may sigh, at times, for a
quieter life. We may feel that
we are tired of experiences and that
we would rather live an uneventful
life in which nothing happened, and
we could ‘pursue the even tenor of
our way’. But we could never be
satisfied with such a life. It may be
suitable for some, but it is completely
unsatisfying to one who has received
the call to the heights. When once
we have responded to the call we can
never look back.
The new life is packed with experiences,
not one of which is unnecessary. ‘There
liveth no man on earth who may always
have rest and peace without trouble
and crosses, with whom things always
go according to his will; there is always
something to be suffered here, turn which
way you will. And as soon as you are quit
of one assault, perhaps two come in its
place. Wherefore, yield thyself willingly
to them, and seek only that true peace
of the heart, which none can take away
from thee, that thou mayest overcome all
assaults’. (Theologia Germanica). All
these experiences lead us to eternal joy
– the joy which is the same as the joy
of heaven, and which we can possess
and experience while still living our
life on earth. Through accepting them
willingly, seeking only the true peace
of God, we are able to overcome our
experiences. But if we resist them, then
hell is at once let loose.
This is the peculiarity about the
experiences of the spiritual life. If we
accept them, and endure them, dealing
with them in love and non-resistance,
then they become our greatest blessings
and source of joy. They literally usher
us into Heaven. But if we resent them,
and do not accept them, then the
results are painful in the extreme, and
it is only after great mental suffering
4
and many trials that we are able to get
back to the place where we were. It is
through yielding ourselves willingly
to the disciplinary experience, and
through seeking the true peace of
the heart (and this is only possible if
we love all men and act in love, and
meet all persecution with love) that
we overcome all assaults, even as the
Theologica Germanica so truly states.
It is only in this way that the assaults
can be overcome. Here is indeed a
mystery. No wonder it is hid from the
wise and prudent, and revealed only
to those who have been born again
of the Spirit (spiritually awakened).
How impossible it is for the carnal
mind to see that by co-operation and
non-resistance and by love, one can
overcome the assaults of those who
hate us and seek to injure us; and that
this overcoming is not ‘downing’ our
tormentor, but overcoming ourselves.
The fault is with ourselves. The
trying experience is ‘called up’, or
attracted to us, through something in
ourselves which has to be overcome
and subdued. We should give thanks
for a trying experience because it is the
very best thing, and indeed is the only
thing, by means of which the cause of
disharmony which is within us, can
be removed, or worn away, or ground
to powder.
Is it not lovely to realise this glorious
fact that this process of change and
regeneration is continually going on;
and that all the time, day by day, we are
being changed and brought nearer to
union with the Lord; in which union,
of course, are peace and felicity? Is it
not glorious to know that we can live
in heaven now, just as truly as ever we
shall do? And that it is all brought
about by simply living a life of trust
in God, and a life of charity and love.
In order to live in the presence of the
Lord we have to trust the Lord for
everything, and we have to love all
men, even our enemies and slanderers,
just as our Lord taught.
Experiences
r e p e a t
themselves
until their
cause is
removed. The
cause is that
‘something’
within us
which calls the
experiences
up, or attracts
them to us. It is either something that
has to be removed, or a lack of some
quality. Actually it is always a negative
lack. It may be a lack of active love
and compassion, or it may be a lack of
faith and trust, or it may be a lack of
strength and endurance, or patience
and persistence. Whatever may be the
immediate cause, the actual cause is
lack of God. All that we need is more
of God; that is, that we should be so
filled by His Spirit that we become
like the Divine. Our constant prayer
should be: ‘Lord, make me all that
Thou wouldst have me be’. Then the
next experience will show us what
the trouble is. If a trial of our love
and forgiveness comes, we may know
that we need to be more like Christ
in our compassion and love. If a trial
of our faith comes, we know that we
need more faith, and that through
the experience greater faith will be
developed within us.
The Life of the Spirit is really the
greatest of all adventures. Flying
and polar exploration are not to be
compared with it. We go out into the
wilderness, even as did our Lord. We
make the journey of Jesus, and finally
lose our life in order to find it. And
it all leads to joy unspeakable and is
full of glory. It is wonderful, this new
life of regeneration in which we are
changed from material creatures of
the flesh into spiritual beings, sons and
daughters of God, heirs of Heaven,
and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. U
The New Life
Obstacles Into
Stepping Stones
by Florrie Collins
How, exactly, do we extract lessons
from experiences and grow from
them? Here are a couple of ideas
for ‘turning obstacles into stepping
stones’.
‘No matter what
the size, colour, or
shape is, the point
is...to lean toward
the discomfort
of life and see it
clearly, rather
than protect ourselves from it.’
~ Pema Chodron
P
eople are drawn to the spiritual
path for a variety of reasons.
Some may be seeking firm moral
guidelines for living in a heedless
and expedient world. Some long for
a love and unity which transcends
mortal life. There may be a yearning
to get to real fundamental truth.
Sometimes we’re just dissatisfied
with life and want it to be better.
We often begin our spiritual quests
and practices with the hope that our
lives will get better and problems will
go away. We soon find, however, that
the reverse is often the case. In order
to make spiritual progress, we must
go through the process of purging
ourselves of our imperfections and
inordinations. Spiritual teachers tell
us that once we step onto the path,
life has a way of bringing us the very
experiences we need to accomplish
this purgation, and this can make
life more difficult, rather than easier.
This means that these difficult
experiences are lessons to be
welcomed, rather than random and
unfair quirks of cruel fate. This is
quite a turnabout from our normal
reactions to troubles. It may even
seem fantastical to believe that this
is true. But to face troubles in this
way is to take a big step forward. It
means we no longer see ourselves as
victims of circumstances beyond our
control, and are beginning to use our
wills to make positive changes.
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
Each difficulty overcome brings
fresh powers to the soul.
Soul Polishing
The Japanese mystic, Ogamisama,
taught that the purpose of life is to
‘polish our souls’ by rectifying our
faults and failings. However, she said
it is hard to recognize our own flaws;
it’s much easier to see other people’s
faults! Ogamisama taught we should
observe what we react to and criticize
in others. Those are the very things
we need to fix in ourselves.
Some of her other teachings are:
a Be considerate and always try
to see things from the other
person’s point of view; make a
constant effort to understand
your companion’s feelings.
a Forget yourself and become a
good listener.
a Practise humility and nonegoism.
a Practise co-operation and
sincerity.
a Lose pride and conceit; pride
is one of the greatest stumbling
blocks on the road to God’s
Kingdom.
a Transform resentment into
gratitude.
Ogamisama taught that through soul
polishing, even the most difficult
life situations can be completely
overcome.
Using Ideals to Outgrow
Problems
Soul polishing is necessar y,
but dwelling overmuch on our
failings and shortcomings can
be demoralizing; we might find
ourselves in a quagmire of negativity.
To attack a problem head-on is
rarely effective. The reason is that
by directing attention towards a
problem, we strengthen it. We
should instead begin by cultivating
positive thoughts and actions, and
substituting good habits for bad
ones. Ultimately, we rarely really
solve problems; rather, we outgrow
them.
In order to outgrow problems, we
need to become ‘bigger’. We can do
this by dedicating ourselves to great
ideals and to causes greater than
ourselves.
We need to bring ideals into our lives
daily, and there are many ways to
do so. Reading inspiring spiritual
writings is one. Prayer, meditation,
and other spiritual practices are
another. Any time we listen to great
music, read great literature, or view
great works of art, we are uplifted
to a greater consciousness. We are
uplifted when we give or when we
help others. We are uplifted when
we practise being kind, forgiving,
compassionate, and supportive.
These types of inspiration are a
natural way to outgrow problems,
without being bogged down by
fighting them directly. And, by
patient daily work to bring our ideals
into greater reality in our lives, we
are building the strength we need
to be ready for the next trial. Each
difficulty overcome brings fresh
powers to the soul.
When we begin to see our problems
and difficulties as welcome
opportunities for spiritual growth,
we have truly been reborn into the
new life. U
5
Off With The
Old, On With
The New
by Ted Eames
Ted has worked for over thirty
years in the fields of child and
adult mental health. He aspires
to write stories and poems. He
says that the best thing he has
ever achieved was as a single
parent, raising his son from
the age of eleven months to
adulthood. Ted’s occasional blogs
can be found at http://www.
maintenantman.wordpress.com/
‘ he bear does not feel happy when
the cold weather starts, when the
leaves of the aspen and the birches turn
to gold and cover the trails and the
rivers with a yellow blanket. The bear
can feel the chill in the breeze and can
see the snow on the trees before it falls.
The bear knows that a hard time has
come and that there is no food to come
by: it will take in all the nourishment
it can, then seek out a den, and it will
sleep. But the sleep of the bear is always
ready for the changing of the season, the
sleep of the bear is primed for new life’.
The elderly woman looked around
at her audience in the coffee bar,
nodded to no-one in particular,
and walked slowly and a little
stiffly towards the door. With the
above words she had concluded
her account of seeing the first bear
of the Spring. The bear had been
“a-suckin’ and a-roarin’” in the
snow-melt of a feeder stream on the
forest side of the river.
The waitress told me later that her
name was Joan Carcross, though
this was an anglicised version of
her aboriginal name, which was a
lengthy string of unpronounceable
syllables reflecting her family
history of caribou herding. She
was apparently a member of the
Tlingit Nation who had chosen to
migrate south to Lytton, a small
T
6
town in British Columbia, some
years ago. She told the local Lytton
First Nation’s people of a dream in
which she saw herself operating a
ferry across the Fraser River in the
sunny climate of the Lytton valley – a
new life to enjoy after the dwindling
of the caribou in northern British
Columbia. Joan’s ferry had duly
become a key feature of life in the
area.
I was passing through Lytton
towards the end of a long journey
which, for me, had many parallels
with the kind of dream that had
inspired Joan Carcross. My journey
towards renewal in life was beset
by a clutter of contemporary urban
‘sophistications’ (and I use that word
in its pejorative sense) but essentially
it was the same journey as Joan’s.
And, in my newly awakened state, it
was the same journey as that of the
hibernating bear.
I heed the alarm call and seek to
wake up into a new way of being?
Fortunately,I was still mindful
enough to realise that there was no
real choice. I suspect that this is true
for many such apparent choices;
when it is either No Life or New Life
then it must be the latter. I realised
that I had somehow summoned
this testing experience into my
professional life, and I learned how
to be grateful for it. A wise friend told
me that the corporate machine had
My decision: to stay with the
old routine or embrace a new
life?
In my late 50s, I had fallen foul of
the prevailing culture within all too
many of our public services. My
professional life was supposed to
be about ensuring better outcomes
for children in need. Instead I
had found myself working within
an increasingly inhuman and
bureaucratic environment, a brutal
parody of what one would hope for in
a supposedly compassionate society.
In attempting to take a belated
and rather pathetic stand against
funding cuts I had come up against
the modern phenomenon known
as corporate bullying. Without
going into too much detail, I finally
realised that I had become trapped
between the ‘rock’ of power-driven
senior managers, and the ‘hard
place’ of my own illusory ego.
Should I keep my head down and
live for the monthly salary and
the eventual pension, or should
I put full trust in the universe
and the universe repaid me by
breathing new life into me.
done me a favour, and this turned
out to be wondrously right.
The natural world, in all its multifaceted glory, presented itself to
me as the healthy antithesis to the
bureaucratic mire into which I
had sunk. I knew that I needed a
significant period of time in places
that might pass for wilderness,
places where I could engage with
the elements and with a degree of
energising risk. I knew that I needed
to encounter a ‘new’ self and to
allow that renewed self to take over
my being.
With scant regard for financial
The New Life
considerations, I decided to travel
around the north-west of Canada
and Alaska for a period of eight
months – a good octagonal jouney!
I trusted to the universe for casual
work to eke out my budget and I
prepared myself for mountains,
lakes, forests, rivers, fauna and flora
with as much knowledge as I could
glean. I bought an old Dodge van,
knowing that I could sell it on before
I returned home. I slept in the van
when on the road and took long
camping treks into the wilds, often
relying on simple bivouac gear. I
found people unfailingly kind to
this quietly regenerating ‘gangrel’
(a lovely Scots word for a wanderer
without apparent purpose but with
some inner sense of direction).
A world alive with meaning
I became highly sensitised to the
spiritual dimensions of everything
that my senses brought to me,
including the sixth sense through
which we apprehend the possibilities
of new life. I learned how to
appreciate the language of visual
beauty in the natural world. I found
spiritual relevance in the sounds of
both waterfalls and the music I heard
in remote communities. The smell
of the obligatory fire at night, the
taste of snow-melt, the feel of the
boiler-plate slabs of rock on the bare
mountains; everything was alive
with meaning.
There is not enough space here to
do justice to individual experiences,
let alone the whole journey. Suffice
it to say that I put full trust in the
universe and the universe repaid my
trust by breathing new life into my
ageing being.
The only way that I could make sense
of this literal and spiritual adventure
was by applying a metaphor that
recurs in many esoteric traditions
where New Life is described. The
idea that, in certain circumstances,
we can be in more than one place at
a time has a long and distinguished
history in the stories which transmit
inner truth from one generation
to another. As my good journey
reached its northernmost point, in
the vast landscapes of the Yukon–
Alaskan tundra, I became aware
that I was being followed by my own
‘double’. This doppelgänger figure
was accompanied by a person who
eventually introduced himself as
both a teacher and a hunter. The old
‘me’ had been hunted down, and a
new ‘me’ had been taught how to
learn.
The new ‘me’ seamlessly took over
the journey and also my New Life
on my return home. The encounter
with the old Tlingit, Joan Carcross,
and the identification with the bear
emerging from hibernation, helped
me to realise the truth that New Life
is around us all the time. And if I
had to name one essential difference
between old and new in this context?
I would have to choose this: the
New Life requires patient selfexamination and mindful, wakeful
learning to sustain its benefits – it is
not some blissed-out Elysium, it is
within us and around us in the real
diurnal world. U
Claridge House
Lingfield
Surrey
RH7 6QH
Quaker Healing Centre for rest, retreat & renewal
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Varied residential weekend &
midweek courses with spiritual or
healing focus
Open all year round
No single person surcharge
Vegetarian
For details please call 01342 832150
www.claridgehousequaker.org.uk
Reg. Charity No. 228102
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
7
Look to This Day
chance or opportunity in life brings a change: it causes
an effect within the self which reflects and rebounds on
by Margaret Bentley
us and those around us, a circular motion of learning.
We cannot escape the learning experience; we do it
Since early childhood Margaret has been aware of
consciously with awareness or unconsciously; things
a Supreme Being in her life. Now in retirement,
move at a soul level.
after many years teaching, she is able to share all
But what of death? It is our greatest act of faith. We
the wonder this has created in her life with others
know about the ‘afterlife’. Indeed many books have
through spiritual and meditative workshops.
been written about ‘life after death’ and we find our
own path through the information.
he New Life, where to begin?
My path led me to the natural world.
Is it heaven, or is it a state of
In my heart and soul heaven will be
belief that something better than this
full of all sentient life, perfected and
life lies ahead? I’d like to consider
whole, and those I love and who love
heaven.
me from this life and many others.
Heaven on the face of it appears
It will be a place of peace but not
to be a ‘place’ without challenges,
inactivity. Helen Greaves confirms
life is easy! You can sit on a cloud,
this and much more in her book
play with the angels, the sun shines
Testimony of Light. Reading this book
and God lives there. As a child
I discovered that there will be work
I thought this might be boring, a
to do. There is still much healing
poor return for a lifetime of being
and research to be done and there are
good as well as lots of suffering in
opportunities to help others, to learn,
purgatory to make sure you were
to work with a group or alone, but
perfect before you could get past St.
first a period of rest, reflection and
Peter at the Pearly Gates. I thought
healing of the soul guided by those
I’d rather stay where I was. This is a
we love and have known. It doesn’t
very simplistic view which children
say ‘The New Life’ will be easy but it
create to deal with adult concepts.
The late Frances Banks, M.A.
does sound creative and purposeful.
But even as I grew up heaven
Featured in The Testimony of
didn’t really tempt me, neither did Light. ‘All is expansion here, but I cannot end better than, as Helen
expansion in stages.’
Greaves ends her book, by quoting
‘being born again’, despite attending
Robert Browning:
several evangelical meetings. I did a
course which involved re-birthing. I admit I found it
very hard to take it seriously and properly, so I crept out
‘There shall never be lost one good! What
before I embarrassed myself and offended anyone, for
was shall live as before … On the earth the
many find this process life-changing and very helpful.
broken arcs, in heaven, as a perfect round.
Part of me envied their joy and ‘new born’ status.
All we have willed or hoped
I think I dismissed heaven as unattainable very early
or dreamed of shall exist;
on in life; it sounded nice but I wasn’t convinced that
not its semblance, but itself;
God and His heaven were quite ‘my thing’. However
no beauty, nor good, nor
nature and angels and a developing awareness of people
power whose voice has gone
were. I found that people were quite a challenge! I
forth but each survives for
tried my best to please them and be kind, not always
the melodist when eternity
successfully. Some of my ideas led me into a lot of
affirms the conception of an
trouble and many misunderstandings, but others
hour. The high that proved
brought me great joy and opportunities, and through
too high, the heroic for earth
these experiences I think I have acquired a degree of
too hard, the passion that left the ground to
understanding, compassion, tolerance and above all
lose itself in the sky are music sent up to God
a knowledge of the wonderful power of love. These
by the lover and the bard. Enough that he
experiences taught me to live ‘The New Life’ now. It
heard it once; we shall hear it by and by.’ U
has to be a continuous event, ever present, because each
T
8
The New Life
Treading the
New Life Path
Chris Sangster
I include a visualisation of progress
on the spiritual development path
in my forthcoming book, ‘Now
we’re Coping’, where the reader is
encouraged to focus on possible
progress and consider strategies
to surmount blocks and detours.
Notice… not ‘problems’ or ‘crosses
we have to bear’. There’s a lot
of those, plus sin and trials and
persecution bobbing around in
the sea of society and religions
which we all experience, directly
or indirectly. But, as HTH quotes
from the ‘Theologia Germanica’
– ‘Seek only that true peace of the
heart, which none can take away from
thee, that thou mayest overcome all
assaults’.
And, when we really set off again
along that spiritual path, there is
indeed no stopping us. Blockages
Chris is a keen supporter of
The Hamblin Trust and divides
his time between a range of
activities including music,
writing, meditative practice
and personal development.
In November Chris brought
an extensive range of his
instruments to Bosham House
for a sound bath meditation.
These included gongs, singing
bowls and tubular bells. He
plans to return for more musical
activities later this year.
hat does finding The New
Life mean to you? I’ve had
several – such as moving from
primar y school teacher in
Perthshire to college lecturer
in London, or changing house
from a 16th Century old manor
house in Wiltshire to a former
shooting lodge in the Western
Highlands of Scotland. But
that’s not what HT Hamblin
had in mind when he spoke
about ‘The New Life’. He was
speaking about ‘the experiences
of the spiritual life’.
You’ll find plenty of people to assist you on
So, we’re not talking about
your path but, ultimately, it’s your path so
jumping out of a car or train
you must own it!
at our new destination, with
a loud ‘KERPOW’ – we’re
and detours there may be – we can
thinking more about setting off, then
even be distracted or have enforced
progressing on a wonderful journey
‘down times’ when we need to
of discovery. Are we setting off? We
concentrate on more corporeal
may think so, when we initially
matters – but once the motor’s fired
get that flash of inspiration which
up again, it changes our life and
trips us off – but in truth, most of
attitudes. It’s not just the new ways
us will already have progressed
we study, read, attend talks and get
along the way, to some extent, in
involved with more enlightened
previous lives. The memories may
activities – it’s the new stuff which
be hazy, or almost forgotten but the
goes on inside. It’s not only through
wisdom and experience is latent in
right as well as left brain thinking
our hearts, ready to be built upon.
– but with thinking and feeling in
That progression is where the path
our heart. You’ve heard the phrase
in the title comes in.
W
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
‘heart-felt’. It’s when we extend its
function from pumping to feeling
and caring, that the path towards
further enlightenment is really
opening out.
Blockages and detours are all
part of our particular karma –
milestones on our journey which
should be attained, addressed
and accomplished. See them
as interesting challenges – not
overwhelming problems. Think of
possible strategies – get yourself a
Plan ‘B’ as well as a Plan ‘A’, just in
case! And feel empowered – there’s
no-one quite like yourself to know
what You really want to do. That
means there’s no-one else to blame,
of course, if things get sticky, but
that’s good too. You’ll find plenty
of like-minded people around to
help you move along your path
positively – but ultimately, it’s
your path. Own it!
As HTH says, ‘Experiences repeat
themselves until their cause is
removed’. That’s karma – that’s
the accomplishment of our
established milestones. Not
immediately … perhaps not even
in this lifetime, if the blockage
persists – but ultimately, as in
finally wiping a slate clean. And
that’s the great thing about the
journey – it’s the excitement of
progressively getting There.
Where’s ‘There’? Of course we are
not talking about a place, but a state
of being which is both here and
now and yet, as Jesus said, ‘many
mansioned’. It’s like climbing
mountains – we see the summit,
progress eagerly along the path …
only to find another slightly higher
peak over the horizon. But when we
get to the real peak of that mountain,
it’s an exhilarating feeling – with the
bonus that we can now see all the
other mountain peaks we still have
to climb. Exciting or what? U
9
by Sue Attridge
I
am writing this in
mid Januar y after a
morning of melting snow
and an afternoon of cold
rain. It’s stopped raining
now but the air remains damp, so
that the cold ‘sticks’ to you, as my
husband, Pat, says. Four days ago,
before the long spell of unseasonally
mild weather became a fond memory,
Pat was taking photos of honey and
bumble bees busy among the sweet,
yellow flowers of a mahonia in the
ornamental garden at Hamblin Hall.
We even saw a rather foolhardy Red
Admiral butterfly. It was a glorious
day and I tried to stay conscious of
enjoying it while I was working.
After such a wet summer and
the recent winter flooding, I had
been concerned that some of the
thousands of bulbs in our grounds
might have rotted. Returning
after the Christmas break, I was
relieved to find that, despite large
areas of the grounds still feeling
squelchy underfoot, snowdrop and
daffodil leaves were well and truly in
evidence, with a few daffodils already
in bud. The protracted mild spell
had given them all a boost.
Reassured, I can now look forward
to another long, beautiful display,
10
which I hope will be at or
near its peak by Sunday
17th March, when we are
presenting the gardens
in our first Daffodil Day.
If you don’t live too far
away, do come and enjoy
this uplifting spectacle,
so welcome after a long
winter. We will be there
from 11 am to 4 pm, with the Hall
open for tea, coffee and cakes. There
will be an entrance fee of £3 towards
the Hamblin Trust’s funds. I will
be on hand should anyone want to
know about what else is growing in
the grounds; but be warned: it’s my
favourite subject and I can talk ’til
I drop!’
By March I should have begun
planting in the rock garden. The
stone is mostly grey limestone
with streaks of white calcite
through it, called ‘lightning’
limestone; it looks beautiful
with the sun glinting on it.
I’ve spent quite a few hours
arranging and re-arranging the rocks
on the bank, not yet entirely to my
satisfaction. I want the impossible;
for them to look both natural and
artistic, but not artificial. However,
the urge to plant the various sedums,
helianthemums and other rockery
goodies that I’ve been nurturing both
at home and at Hamblin Hall, will
soon become overwhelming and force
a resolution.
As well as developing the rock
garden, we will definitely start work
on the wildlife pond and bog garden
this year, after consulting with local
conser vation bodies so that the
design, construction and planting
follow best ecological practice.
In the meantime, the air is perfumed
by winter flowering honeysuckle,
mahonia and witch hazel; the
hellebores and pulmonarias have
begun to flower, and there are
two heads of flower buds on the
Edgeworthia chrysantha which we
bought last year, after Elizabeth
and I were so entranced by the large
specimen in full bloom in February
at the RHS garden at Wisley. There
is always something to offer the
senses here at Hamblin Hall. U
RAJA YOGA MEDITATION
YOGA 4 THE MIND
Gardening
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Just what you need…
SPIRITUAL TOOLS for
everyday living…
MEDITATE anytime…
anywhere..
Find your INNER POWER
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Master your…
SUBCONSCIOUS MIND
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Contact: Brahma Kumaris
www.bkwsu.org /worthing
for your nearest Raja Yoga centre
FREE OF CHARGE
The New Life
A big ‘Thank You’ to our
Hamblin Trust family for
your always warm support
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Mrs J Smith
Mrs N Sutton
Mr J Walker
Mr & Mrs K Williams
Friends of The
Hamblin Trust
Mr D Anstey
Mr C Arnold
Mr J Ashby
Johnson Oatman, Jnr. Mr J Baird
Mr G Becker
nce again we would like to thank you all for your Mr P Beharrell
support in countless ways. We continue to be Francisca Blackburne
touched by your encouraging and insightful letters and Mr M Botterill
comments. We are grateful to our many supporters, and Teri Carpentier
particularly to those who are able to put their shoulder Mrs D Charley
to The Hamblin Trust wheel as Foundation Members Jo Clifford
Mrs C Denby
and Friends.
Mrs V Doidge
Mrs K Eiles
Foundation Members
Mrs M Faulkner
Mrs H J Gleve
Miss A Ferro
Georgina Affleck-Graves
Major Khush Ahmed Ul Mulk Mrs B Griffin
Ms J Chia
Colonel Khusuaqt Ul Mulk Miss J Gurd
Miss A Dharmakan
Mrs K Roper
Mr R B Harrold
Mr R Shrimpton
Mrs C Duncan
Mr P Jarvis
O
Bosham House
Bee Bulletin ~
January 2013
by Jan Jenkins
T
he plan, devised last
September, is to bring bees back
to Bosham House in the spring – to
reinstate a colony in the hive that
occupies the corner of the old orchard
within the peaceful atmosphere of the
grounds. Housing the ‘replacement colony’
temporarily in my own garden has
been a revelation; I am able to observe
the bees closely and it is a privilege to
share their day. Previously, I would
have had to check the weather forecast
three or four days in advance before
embarking on the thirty-mile round
trip from Southsea to Bosham in
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
order to spend some
time with the bees.
My guiding principle
of caring for bees is
to maintain, and if
possible, improve
their health; detailed
observations outside the hive are
essential in ascertaining the health of
the colony within the hive. I use two
primary senses on arrival at the hive;
I watch the rhythm and flying pattern
of the bees to understand their mood
and I check the scent emanating from
the hive – if the scent is a combination
of sweet and clean, I know the bees
are well. Then I record the number
and different colours of the pollen
entering the hive, and estimate the
proportion of pollen intake to water
and nectar collection. This informs
me of the variety and type of available
forage and the developmental stage
Miss J Liddell
Mrs P Lance Little
Mr J Mackie
Mr E Mappley
Mr R Mc Tear
Mrs P Meller
Mrs D Moller-Gulland
Mr J R Morris
Mrs S Neville
Mrs V Newham
Mr S O’Connor
Mr D Palmer
Mrs J Parrott
Mrs M Richardson
Mr B Sampson
Mrs E V Seale
Mr L Sheridan
Mrs C Shires
Mrs A Stiles
Mrs E Tait
Mrs E Thornton
Mr & Mrs S Wade
Mr B Watkin
Mr & Mrs K Walters
Mr T Willson
of the colony. Additionally, I note
the time, temperature and weather
conditions. The final part of the
observation session is spent collecting
any debris from the slab under the
alighting board as bees will eject any
undesirable matter that compromises
the well-being of a colony.
When the bees were at Bosham, I
would bid them farewell and walk
away from the hive towards the car
for the journey home. Inevitably,
I would then return to the bees for
‘just a few more minutes’. Now that
I am able to observe the bees from the
kitchen window and throughout the
day, I have noticed that, at the first
opportunity, the bees will leave the
hive to forage. They will fly in light
rain, between heavier showers, and at
significantly lower temperatures than
cited in most specialist bee books. U
11
Decluttering as a
Spiritual Practice
by Gina Lawrie
Gina will be holding a workshop
on Decluttering as a Spiritual
Practice at Bosham House on 1
June. Gina lives in Surrey with her
dog. She is a self-employed trainer,
coach and consultant working with
individuals and organisations.
She is one of the leading trainers
in Nonviolent Communication
(NVC) – a simple yet profound
process of communicating from
the heart. Gina is a member of
the Association of Professional
Declutterers and Organisers
and brings a unique empathic
approach to decluttering. She
is also available for individual
decluttering support and she
leads trainings in Nonviolent
Communication. You can contact
Gina via her website :
www.ginalawrie.co.uk or
write c/o Bosham House.
‘…choose to live simply so that
others may simply live.’
T
Gandhi
he amount of stress, ‘busyness’
and lack of balance that many
people experience these days is cause
for concern. Decluttering is about
taking charge of our lives again and
simplifying. The American author,
poet and philosopher, Henry David
Thoreau, knew all about simplicity,
‘Our life is frittered away by detail…
simplify, simplify.’
Decluttering and our
relationship to the earth
If you could live more lightly upon
the earth and experience more
meaning and quality of life, you’d
want that, wouldn’t you? Many
of us are striving to do this by
recycling, buying fair trade, avoiding
pesticides, attempting to simplify
and ‘green’ our lives.
12
Choosing to reduce our impact
on the earth has many benefits. It
encourages us to reconnect with
nature, the seasons, the beauty of
our surroundings and our roots in
the ground. Living in harmony with
our environment increases feelings
of wellbeing and connection in
community.
Decluttering at home
I have enjoyed Duane Elgin’s
book, Voluntary Simplicity. He
writes: ‘From a spiritual perspective,
simplicity removes the obscuring
clutter and discloses the spirit that
infuses all things.’
A cluttered environment detracts
from inner peace of mind. We
can feel weighed down or trapped
Simplicity removes obscuring
clutter and discloses the spirit
that infuses all things.
and this impacts our physical and
spiritual wellbeing.
I used to collect books, both old and
new and had shelves in most rooms
of the house. When I moved house
I suddenly felt there was something
oppressive about them as well as
being dark and dusty. As I moved
toward simplifying some other
aspects of life, I just didn’t want
them all anymore – they represented
so many words! So, now I have one
room with bookshelves and if I want
a new book, an old one has to go!
Decluttering our inner world
To experience the present moment
without thinking about past or
future for even minutes of our day
is often hard.
It seems to me that many of us
have sacrificed our values around
family, community and connection
in accepting ‘busyness’, stress and
constant availability into our lives.
Simple changes can make a big
difference. I have recently adjusted
my email so that it doesn’t tell me
every time I receive a new email
because it distracts me. If I focus
better on my work, I have more time
to enjoy meeting people in person.
Meditation and many other
conscious practices help us to be
present in the moment, to focus and
connect with our essential being.
One particular practice that has
brought an experience of simplicity
to my thoughts and communication
with others is Nonviolent
Communication (NVC).
NVC supports us to live our values.
It is a simple and yet profound
process, developed by Marshall
Rosenberg, helping us to cut through
the irrelevancies, decluttering the
words to get to the point and create
meaningful, clear and compassionate
communication.
Decluttering as my own
spiritual practice
I love the aspect of my work that
is supporting people to declutter,
whether from the inside out or
the outside in. Helping others to
create space to allow the emergence
of something new inspires me to
continue this practice myself.
In helping others to declutter, I
notice that I can become attached
to getting them to do this or that.
Part of my practice is to let go of any
attachment to a particular outcome
in order to be fully present and
connect to their needs. At the same
time I am holding a clear intention
to make a difference and often agree
targets with my clients. It is a case
of both/and rather than either/or.
Operating from this paradigm of
partnership and acceptance is a key
part of my spiritual growth. U
The New Life
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Within you is the Power
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‘The Divine way is to trust in
God and to find His Peace, first.
After which the healing of the
whole situation follows, as day
follows night.’
H T Hamblin
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New Vision ~ Spring 2013
H.T. Hamblin
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The New Life
readers’ letters
Dear Elizabeth and friends
Please find enclosed my
subscription for New Vision
magazine, with many thanks
for producing such a lovely and
inspirational outreach for all
those in need of comfort and
spiritual guidance.
I was very impressed with all
the articles in the latest edition
on Forgiveness. I have always
felt that ‘reconciliation’ was
a better word, as it suggests a
balance between repentance and
forgiveness, but after reading
your editorial, I can understand
now how it all comes together.
(I can relate to the incident with
the mobile phone in the ‘quiet
carriage’!) May your light of
inspiration continue to shine
during the coming year. In Light
and Love,
Helen Constance,
Warwickshire
Dear Elizabeth
Thanks for the latest issue
of New Vision with its
lovely nature cover. I find
‘Forgiveness’ a tough subject
and not very much talked about
or valued in everyday life. I
think everyone needs help
with that as we forget about it
and it’s not popular. Actually,
I find myself thinking about
the subject of forgiveness even
though my intention was to
write and say how very sorry
I was to read that your lovely
Harry has died. He was so
beautiful and you must miss
him terribly! I know what it
feels like to lose a beloved pet
and I send my sincere sympathy,
Elizabeth.
Lynda Holland, Oxfordshire
Dear Elizabeth,
I hope you and Harriet have had
a very happy (and doubtless very
active!) weekend.
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
But this note isn’t about Harriet,
it’s to thank you for the latest
edition of ‘New Vision’. What a
wonderfully wide-ranging series
of thoughts on ‘forgiveness’ – I
relished every one. Thank you.
Thank you, too, for those lovely
photos of Harry – can we have
Harriet next time?
I was also very interested to read
Noel Raine’s article on Birth
2012. I’ve been taking part in
Barbara Marx Hubbard’s ‘Agents
of Conscious Evolution’ online
course for the past year, so this
was very dear to my heart. We
are certainly privileged to be
living in interesting times – as
Jean Houston puts it, “we are the
ones we’ve been waiting for”.
Quite a responsibility!
Love to you ... love to Harriet,
Mary and Chloe
Dear team at The Hamblin Trust
My grateful thanks for the
dedicated work undertaken and
your lovely magazine New Vision!
Moya Harrison,
Buckinghamshire
Hi there Elizabeth and all you
lovely people down in West
Sussex!
I was very touched by the article
in the September/October issue
of New Vision on Lawrence
Anthony. What a truly fine
human being he was. To care
for the animal kingdom as he
did is just awe inspiring. The
article by Dadi Janki was great
too. Much love to you all and
many blessings on your lovely
work.
Trevor Willson, Hertfordshire
Dear Elizabeth
Beautiful magazine ~ gets better
and better! Thank you.
Joe Isaac, Hampshire
Dear Elizabeth and Office
Angels
Once again I am delighted to
be renewing my membership
and enclose a cheque with a
little added to help the Pond
and Bog Garden grow. I look
forward, with joy, to receiving
the next year’s writings ~ always
inspiring, uplifting and guiding
my days along the paths of life.
I hope this letter finds you all
well and happy and enjoying the
beautiful sunshine and blue skies
of Spring. The ospreys have
returned to Cumbria again and
more recently the swallows. It’s
a delight to hear their chatter
and chuckle, a sign of summer
which gladdens the heart!
Heather Keogh, Cumbria
Dear Coralie
Before my mother died in 1992
she handed me the ‘little blue
book’ saying, ‘You may like to
look at this sometime.’ I placed
it on my bookshelves where it
remained until last year when I
was searching for Truth. I began
‘Daily Readings’ and subsequently
ordered several other books. I
cannot begin to tell you the joy
and strength I have received
through the reading of this man’s
remarkable words. I still have
much to understand but I have
had so many proofs of God’s
care that it is becoming easier to
accept the words we state in our
thoughts and prayers and just
quietly know that all is in His
Hands.
Olive McGarvey, Lancashire
Dear Elizabeth
The work being done at
Bosham House to keep alive
the visionary thinking of HTH
is simply marvellous and I
feel privileged to have had the
opportunity to connect with his
thoughts which, mercifully, he
put down on paper!
Liz Wheeler, Chichester
15
The Diary of a
Vet
In the Deep
Midwinter …
by Suzannah Stacey, BSc,
BVM&S,MRCVS,Cert.Vet.Acu.
(ABVA)
Suzannah’s Diary shows us
how knowledge can be applied
with wisdom to come up
with the right solution for an
individual animal. In this
issue Suzannah’s know-how is
tested by a grumpy sheep called
Rambo.
a disgruntled look to him. How
docile our pets are by comparison to
poor Rambo, who just wanted me
out of his way as soon as possible,
and who derived no pleasure from
being handled. Being very careful
not to lose any needles in the straw
bedding, I used a small number of
points on Rambo initially, building
up to a more comprehensive number
over time, given that all four of his
legs appeared to be sore. The changes
in Rambo were gradual at first, and
then his general demeanour and
I
t seemed a timely coincidence,
as winter strode in, Christmas
bells rang out, and thoughts then
turned impatiently to spring, to be
asked to visit and treat, of all things,
a sheep. To be more specific,
an elderly, arthritic and grumpy
sheep that was not doing well in
the winter chill, and was having
considerable trouble getting on his
feet in the mornings. I pondered
this request for a while, and since
most of the points used in animal
acupuncture derive from human
treatment points, I reasoned that
the species was largely immaterial,
and point selection would be similar
enough to dogs, cats or horses to
justify giving it a try. Like many of
my patients, he was on strong pain
relieving medication already, so he
was fast running out of options for
managing his sore legs.
Just to be thorough, I consulted my
text books, and confirmed that there
was nothing at all written on the
subject of ovine acupuncture. So I
was on my own... I met Rambo in his
shed, first thing one frosty morning,
where he was resplendent with two
very large horns, and something of
16
Treating Rambo has been something of
a learning curve…
speed of rising in the mornings
became noticeably better.
I was a little concerned about the
medication having so little effect on
him, so I suggested to
his concerned owners
that they contact their
GP practice to request a
trial of a different drug
so that we could see
if that helped Rambo
overcome the odd bad
day that he was still
having. One rainy cold
evening I had a phone
call, and a slightly
panicked voice asked if I might come
down and inject Rambo first thing
the next morning. The vet had sent
them his new drug which required
injecting into him rather than giving
in his dinner.
I paused for a moment to mull over
what to do for the best. Not only
had I not given any conventional
medication by injection for many
years, but in my considerable time in
the veterinary profession I had never
been required to inject sheep. On
the other hand, the owners hadn’t
either, so I could understand their
reluctance to proceed. Perhaps a leap
of faith was needed ...
‘Ok’, I agreed; at least I had injected
something, if not a sheep, in the long
distant past. I then rang a few of my
friends, and was lucky enough to
catch someone in who does actually
inject sheep for a living. He gave
me the benefit of his wisdom on the
subject, and the next day I popped
in to see how Rambo was keeping
and to check out the package that
the owners had received. Luckily, all
the required equipment was present,
and, like riding a bike, it all comes
back to you with regard to technique
and confidence. Fortunately, Rambo
was entirely indifferent to the whole
affair, and the medication was
quickly and efficiently given, with
no unexpected consequences. I
breathed a sigh of relief, and went on
my way, a little spring in my step as
my leap of faith had paid off. Rambo
continues to do well to date. U
The New Life
Welcoming
Spring
by Julia Cousins
I
am writing this in January and it
seems to have been a more than
usually grey winter, when everything
has been affected by a general sense
of sogginess and gloom after so much
rain. But last weekend staying with
friends in the country, on a day when
the sun was shining, I was struck by
the fact that spring was already making its presence felt – new lambs still
young enough to be skittish, hazel
catkins (though only the males are yet
to be seen), snowdrops showing green
and even early primroses in bloom.
The yearly miracle of regrowth had
already begun.
Winter drives us inwards, just as natural life is driven underground. Spring
awakens us again to new possibilities,
new beginnings. But that rebirth is not
always easy. An acupuncturist friend
once said that the seasonal transition
from winter to spring was the hardest
of all to make because it demanded
not only a shift in physical energy from
winter’s sleep but also a corresponding
shift in consciousness. Spring is, of
course, an expression of the energy of
life itself resurgent through all creation, as the natural world awakes to
burst into beauty, into a green and
golden world full of joyous new life.
But new beginnings and change imply
that something old has to die. In the
seasonal pattern it happens naturally
as the leaves die back and fall and the
sap sinks back into the roots. It is the
time when we need to slough off the old
skins, the ones in which we are comfortable because we are used to them, to
start again in new and different ones.
Henry Thomas Hamblin says that
there is something in us which is reluctant to change. It is so much easier to
go with the downward flowing energy
of the dying year and live uneventful
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
lives without too much to disturb us,
but he adds that we ‘could never be satisfied with such a life’. Indeed the search
for a quiet, untroubled life is in itself
an illusion, for none of us is going to
live without pain and difficulty. HTH
goes further and says that this is the very
stuff from which our new lives will be
shaped. There is a ‘peculiarity about the
experiences of the spiritual life. If we accept them and endure them, dealing with
them in love and non-resistance, then they
become our greatest blessings and source of
joy. They literally usher us into Heaven.
But if we resent them, and do not ac-
Transformation has to begin
within before we can be of use
to others.
cept them, the results are painful in the
extreme’. Most of us have already
discovered that the experiences we
most need will repeat themselves until
we finally look at the causes behind
our suffering. It is all too easy to seek
external reasons – how could the problems be anything to do with us and our
own attitudes? Rather they are caused
by circumstances, or someone else not
doing what we think they should have
done, or saying something which hurts
our fragile egos.
When we seek the cause within ourselves, something different is enabled
to happen. To quote HTH again:
‘… something within us … calls the experiences up, or attracts them to us. It is
either something that has to be removed,
or a lack of some quality. Actually it
is always a negative lack.’ This lack
may be of compassion, or endurance,
or patience but what we truly need
is to be filled with the Spirit of God,
because then we are open to that help
which enables us to become what we
are meant to be.
Divine Love and Wisdom enfold us
all the time, but how often do we
recognize that the whole power of the
Universe is on our side? How often
do we simply surrender to that, resting
in the providential care which wills
only our good and the good of all our
fellow beings? When we do, we are
acknowledging that we are souls, part
of whose task here on earth is to grow
into the Wisdom and Love, which
ceaselessly pour down upon us, so that
we can begin to reflect the same wise,
loving kindness to all beings.
There is a lovely exercise, adopted by
Mindfulness but taken from Buddhist
practice. We begin by wishing that we
ourselves may live with inner peace,
freedom from the wheel of suffering
and ease and kindness. Then we
make the same intention for someone we care about, then for someone
we feel neutral about, and finally for
someone with whom we have difficulties. Our initial reaction is often
that we should not ask for things for
ourselves. But though it might appear
selfish, transformation, like the new
life hidden in the ground in winter,
has to begin within before we can
effectively be of use to others. As we
choose to co-operate with this process
of change and regeneration, we will
find that it is already at work within
us. It is the life which is constantly
renewed in us day by day, calling us
ever from the unreal to the real.
As God revealed to Catherine of
Siena: ‘I will only your well-being
and whatever I give to you I give it so
that you may reach the goal for which I
created you.’ May our hearts truly be
opened this Springtime, so that the
grace of renewal may awaken us all
to new life, that real life which makes
us live more abundantly. U
17
Awakening
Within
are prompted to look deeper within
to work out who we really are. The Master, Jesus, once said, ‘When
you understand yourselves you will be
by James Ashby understood, and you will realise that
James is a man with a vision!
you are Sons of the Living Father. He is a Trustee of The Hamblin
If you do not know yourselves, then
Trust and a core group member
you exist in poverty, and you are that
of CANA (Christians Awakening
poverty.’ (Gospel of Thomas 3b.) to A New Awareness). He lives in
What an invitation to New Life!
Edinburgh with his wife, Rosalie.
It is like breaking out of a shell of
t seems that most human beings
our own self imposed restrictions
are fascinated by seeing the
and fears to find that we are eternal
emergence of new life. Whether it
beings, with a Soul’s Path that
is the birth of a human baby, or
stretches for hundreds of years
a lamb or a chick from a hen’s
back into the past, and will
egg, we are willing the new life
continue into the future until
to break forth into its freedom,
time ceases to exist.
and we welcome it to our world. When we realise that one
It is a real moment of Now
lifetime is just one step on
when, with no known past, the
the long Path of the Soul, our
new being has all the potentials
perception of both ourselves and
of the future set before it in this
of the world takes a radical shift. new level of life.
We are connecting with our
As philosophers have pointed
being that is not confined to the
out, the only point in time of
restrictions of the physical and
true reality is Now. The past
mental processes of the world in
Breaking out of our shell of self imposed
may have shaped us into what restrictions, we find that we are eternal beings. which we are playing our part
we are, and shown us what
‘on stage’. And when we come
to
cope
with
all
that
life
throws
at
we could be. But the past is gone,
to a realisation that we are sons and
us. And when that small part is out
and the future is only surmise. The
daughters of the Father, only then
of
harmony
with
our
thoughts
and
only reality is Now. So it is only
can we recognise other beings as
actions we just hear it as a still small
now that we can let go of the past,
our own brothers and sisters. More
voice that says, ‘No, don’t do that. and be who we really want to be
than that, we find that we are living
That’s not the way forward,’ or ‘Why
– who we want to be deep within
a Life beyond life. Our physical
not try this way? It will be better for
ourselves – who we know we really
life is only at the will of our spiritual
you in the long run.’ It is when we
are behind the stage clothes we have
Life. And if we falter in our part on
come to recognise, more and more,
donned to face the world. It is so
stage we only have to listen to the
Prompter! U
the authenticity of that voice that we
easy to forget our innermost being,
I
as we use all our energies to cope
with the problems and challenges of
the world as we find it. It can take
time to rediscover who we really are
inside the front with which we face
the world. Perhaps too many of us
are frightened to look deep inside for
fear that we will find just emptiness;
yet how could that be? Who is it
inside us that suggested we should
look in the first place? Surely a
small part of our innermost being
is always dancing on our surface of
life, going along with us as we try
Four Blessings
a I bless myself, my sovereignty
and freedom, and the incarnation
of my spirit into the world.
a I bless where I am and the spaces
that hold me and support my life.
May I create and hold environments
of love and blessing for others.
18
a I bless all life around me in all its forms.
Life is the Commons of which I am a part,
the community with which I am in
partnership. May my incarnation bless
the process of incarnation itself, that its
sacred intent may be fulfilled in the richness
of this living world.
a I bless my activity and work in the world.
May the inner and outer gifts of my life
be a blessing to all beings everywhere.
The New Life
Evolving
Humanity
by Sheila Ward
Sheila has been exploring with
women in the second half of life
for over twenty years. Her book
‘Towards Wisdom’ is available
from www.greenspiritbooks.
‘I entered into a state of being
In which I was in love with
everyone I met.’
N
early a hundred years ago
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin,
the priest and palaeontologist,
prophesied that humanity was on
the verge of an evolutionary leap.
It seems that evolution remains
fairly static for thousands of years
and then takes a sudden leap over
a relatively short period of time.
This is now happening. Humanity
is evolving.
Such leaps in the past have been into
life itself and, more recently, the leap
into language. Perhaps we can understand a little more about what is
involved if we look at this last major
leap. Our ancestors must have been
groping in the unknown for some
time experimenting with various
forms of communication, but with
no concept of where it might lead –
to poetry, maths, science, and all the
developments of our modern world
which would have been completely
beyond their comprehension.
Likewise we cannot imagine what
may lie ahead for us but we have
some clues and we are on our way.
So what are the recent developments
which could herald a new leap?
In the past people focussed on
survival, acquiring as much food
and clothing as possible and the
power to hold onto it (or steal it). But
today, in many parts of the world, it
is no longer a matter of ‘the survival
of the fittest’, because we now care
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
for the least fit. There are now
significant numbers of people who
are behaving in a way motivated by
love – rather than power or greed.
Although there are still some places
dominated by fear and violence,
many people are now aware of being
part of one world and most have the
possibility of communicating with
each other.
Peace workers and mediators are
proliferating as well as aid workers.
Groups like ‘The Shift’, ‘Peace
Alliance’ and ‘Humanity’s Team’
are forming internationally on
I stopped to listen to a chaffinch
singing and was drawn into a
strong feeling of unity.
the internet, working together to
take responsibility for the future of
the world and concerned with the
common good.
On a more local level people are
forming groups to find solutions
to their shared problems such
as those working for transition
towns, ecological solutions and
support systems such as Alcoholics
Anonymous, Action for Children
and the Samaritans.
Whereas in the past appeals were
made to the public to help with
needy causes by appealing to their
self interest, perhaps promising
happiness in heaven as a bribe, today
we can assume that people have the
empathy to respond to appeals such
as ‘Children in Need’ because they
care. How has this come about?
Thousands of years ago spiritual
leaders, such as Buddha and Jesus
Christ, told us to love one another.
We didn’t really understand what
this meant and in its fullest meaning
we still don’t. Although the Church
hierarchy missed the point and urged
people to be good to gain a place
in heaven, there were a number of
monks and nuns and lay people who
realised that their calling to God
meant caring for the sick and needy.
As they did so they became more
loving and others followed them.
Some of them were also mystics who
had had a revelation of the unity of all
things and practised contemplation
in order to sustain this reality. It
seems that this mystical experience is
now becoming much more frequent.
At the age of about seventeen I had
such an experience on a sparkling
spring morning when I stopped to
watch a chaffinch singing on the
bough of a silver birch and was
overwhelmed with a strong feeling
of unity. It happened again later on
when I unsuspectingly entered a
state of being in which I was in love
with everyone I met. (At a deep
level that is still there, sustained by
morning meditation.)
We now know that ‘mindfulness’
and various forms of meditation
awaken parts of the brain related to
empathy and altruism. The practice
of actually caring for others probably
has this effect as well. Mothers are
inevitably involved in caring for their
children and no doubt these parts
of their brains awakened early on.
However, no one took any notice
of women’s wisdom and experience
until just recently when women
writers and ‘wisdom circles’ became
better known. So although there
are parts of the world where fear
and hatred still dominate there are
significant numbers of people who
have evolved into men and women
who take a caring responsibility
for the way the world develops
and increasingly understand the
meaning of love.
Doesn’t this signify the start of an
evolutionary leap? U
19
Embracing
both Timeless
Truths and New
Possibilities
by Patricia Claxton
Patricia has been connected with
HT Hamblin’s work since the
1960s. She was the last person
to facilitate a workshop in
Henry Hamblin’s house and now
offers workshops at home to help
people unblock their creativity
and trust their intuition. She
says: ‘This year, I have decided
to focus on what really lifts my
heart …’
t is my birthday and I am sensing
what it means to be born, to be
given new life. What must it have
been like for my parents in the
war, waiting for a baby to be born,
with bombs blowing up the city,
including the nursing home I was
born in being set on fire? Hardly a
welcoming beginning to life on this
earth!
So if we’re thinking about new life,
it begs the question: What is life?
For me it is not so much about the
meaning of life; it is more about what
makes one feel alive. And surely that
not only includes us humans but
also the vitality of everything on this
earth and the word soul is within this
question. For this article I am using
soul and essence as I think they are
interchangeable.
The words soul and soil are close.
What kind of soil does each of our
souls need to live in, to grow, to
feel loved and nurtured? Love and
kindness are two ingredients to help
the process.
Last Christmas I delighted in every
moment of celebration with my
family, noticing the essence of each
person with joy, sometimes pain,
and aliveness when we all played
together, whatever our age. To see
the expression in each person’s face,
as presents were unwrapped and the
truth of what was inside revealed,
was such a gift.
Isn’t that what feeling alive is also
like? When our true essence, which
has been wrapped up and hidden, is
revealed to us. That doesn’t mean
our insight into ourselves is ‘right’
and someone else’s is ‘wrong’. It is
true from the particular lens each
person is looking through at that
moment. Being able to receive how
it is for them, learning to stand in
one’s own shoes as well as theirs
I
20
The way I will take the first step is by
going for a silent walk along the
seashore and see what nature
has to teach me.
and be kind and understanding
needs strength and, for some people,
perseverance, if they have always
been taught to be compliant and
people-pleasing.
From this genuine sense of being
genuine action can follow. It is one
of connection and alignment to a
deeper Self, if only we can give it
attention and listen to what it has to
communicate and then be obedient
to its voice. I’ve heard from some
people working with dogs that
animals become aggressive when
they don’t know that their owner
is in control. This leads them to
feel insecure and frightened, then
aggressive and violent.
Is this what is happening with
humans too? There is so much fear
around and people are becoming
violent rather than connecting with
other souls and trying to understand
their point of view. If we did make
those connections we might discover
that the ‘stranger’ has more in
common with us than we realise.
It needs a real intention to want to
meet people rather than jumping
in with criticism and judgement
or spending time rationalising and
analysing. And if we do analyse,
what does that do to our soul? In
my experience it erodes that feeling
of ‘being alive’. It seems to me
that if we have something new and
vulnerable it is better to keep it safe,
in case it is in danger of being ‘killed
off ’ by non-understanding people.
Drawing from a gardening analogy,
this is what we do with seeds. We
put them in the soil, like a womb,
and they are safely there until the
energy pushes through and comes
into the light when the conditions
are just right – Kairos time and not
chronological time.
Using different terminology, how can
I be a loving, kind, compassionate
‘mother’ to that little baby born
seventy two years ago into what must
have been a terrifying world both
for her and her parents? With all
the people who have been affected
by war, and still are being affected,
may we do all we can to give comfort,
nourish, and love to the little child
in each one of us, whatever age, and
begin to experience a life afresh,
seeing through different lenses of
compassion, creativity and care.
What is God’s vision for each of
us? I feel each of us has entered
this world to play our part by giving
our heart for the wellbeing of all.
Perhaps reading again the Prayer of
Serenity could help.
‘Please give me the courage
to change the things I can
change,
the patience to accept those
things I cannot change,
and the wisdom to know the
difference.’
The New Life
I have decided to focus on what really lifts my heart. When
I truly know and am honest with myself, encouraged by
my heart, I can engage my head to work through what
to do for the best. This involves making an intention to
de-clutter; things, thoughts and beliefs which have been
helpful in the past and now are no longer needed. I say
‘thank you’ and let them go.
I am not saying this is easy but I am encouraged by reading
a book called Pippa’s Progress – by Simon Parke, which
brings the original ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ by John Bunyan
into a story about a 21st century pilgrim who experiences
afresh the diverse ways of going through life.
The way I will take the first step is by going for a silent
walk along the seashore and see what nature has to
teach me. There are some of us who do this through
the different seasons of the year. Although it is the same
walk, by being mindful we see, connect, and allow our
experience to truly resonate in our bodies, whatever and
however that is for each of us. Afterwards we give time
to share with each other one or two of those experiences,
so it then becomes part of the collective experience and
leads to a sense of wellbeing. We are a-mused (led by
our muse) and enchanted (led into a different, expanded
space inside our hearts).
My challenge this year is to be fully awake to notice the
new life which is being born in me; to seek out the old
truths, as well as embracing new possibilities.
How are you noticing new life and possibilities within
you?
Perhaps the words of John O’Donohue can help us in his
poem: For a New Beginning
In out-of-the way places of the heart
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you are ready to emerge.
U
Dear Elizabeth ...
W
hilst sending in my annual renewal form it came to me to set down a few lines
on the theme of The Message of a Flower, as inspired by HT Hamblin. You say
the grounds of Bosham House are exploding with life and growth and the tall grass is
alive with butterflies and insects and that the wild meadow has produced a variety of
wayside flowers. It sounds wonderful.
Last year I went with my partner to the Olympic Park in London. We were thrilled by
the athletics and really enjoyed meeting people from all over the world in a truly unique
atmosphere of friendship. We walked around the complete site and were delighted to
find that the Olympic Committee had also understood the importance of the beauty
and benefits of a wildflower meadow. We were able to sit amongst all the hustle and bustle of a very busy
venue and enjoy the gorgeous varieties of blue, yellow and pink flowers, truly an uplifting moment for us ~ a
contemplation on The Message of a Flower.
Our Olympic day out was a wonderful experience and
I enclose a photograph of one of the meadows with the
main stadium in the background, setting the stage for the
athletes to perform. The colours of the flowers were quite
lovely and I would imagine very similar to those enjoyed
at Bosham House. Please keep up the good work. I look
forward to visiting you one day.
Many thanks to all those contributing to New Vision which
is enjoyed so much by us. Please accept my renewal and a
small contribution to the wildlife and bog garden.
Maurice Lawrence, Lincolnshire
Wildflowers at the Olympic Park
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
21
Hear the Angels
Sing
by Jane Pittsinger
Jane lives with her husband in
the Bay Area of San Francisco,
California and is originally from
England. She works with the
mind/body as a physiotherapist
and Rosen Method bodywork
practitioner and teacher.
encouragement and incentive to
work together for the good of the
whole and inspiration from above.
This is the state, of course, in an
ideal situation. Today in the world
in general we can see both repressive
governance in which members
of a society are forced to conform
through fear of retaliation as well
as, in many parts of the world, the
emphasis on individual thought and
choice.
By prophet bards foretold
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold
When peace shall over all the
earth
And the whole world give back
the song
Which now the angels sing.
W
22
For lo! The days are hastening on.
Its ancient splendours fling
‘O, hush the noise ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing’.
hen I sang these words a
few nights before Christmas
their meaning pierced me to the
core. At that time, the sweetness
of the singing raised the words
to a poignant, almost prophetic
resonance, as they rose up into the
space of the high arched ceiling of
an ancient church in Suffolk.
As I read them now they sound like
a reprimand ... ‘you silly quarrelsome
human beings, just be quiet and listen!’
There have been episodes in the
stream of human history when the
society in which the individual is
embedded has possessed an ordered
intention towards certain ideals.
These ‘ideals’ may have been more
like ideologies of narrow intent based
on material measures or power but
there have existed societies based on
higher and purer ideals. Sometimes
the overarching principles of
government have proven repressive
and unworthy of the dignity of
human nature. Individuals,
even under threat, come together to
assert their own human dignity and
the potential which they innately
know to be true.
The point is that when there is a
collective movement towards an
expressed purpose, the individual
is embraced. There is support,
as demonstrations of frustration,
which can become anarchic and
destructive, or else the temptation to
feel hopeless. But there is a middle
way between apathy and reaction.
And now I call to mind the words of
the remainder of the carol:
Watercolour: Audrey Williams
Let us learn to sing a new song,
surpassing all others in perfect
Beauty.
Many of us live in social organisms
where we are fortunate to have the
freedom to think and act for the most
part according to our own choices.
Many of us also harbour a sense
of worth of the human being and
the potential for upliftment of our
society to live less for material gain
and more for the dignity of human
purpose and immutable truths. In
fact we are plain exhausted by the
assault on ourselves to ‘consume’.
We do not experience in society as
a whole, or in some of our leaders,
the support and encouragement of
high ideals to bind us together in a
collective aspiration and movement
towards their living fulfilment.
Various reactions can ensue such
First we must listen. In this time and
era, we may find ourselves (I do)
living with popular trends which
can assume proportions of a great
current sweeping along all in its
path. The full weight of materiality
and its accompanying belief systems
is heavy and oppressive but it need
never affect us internally if we are
conscious and awake to the inner
silence. The words of the carol
are written from the certainty and
confidence of a person who sees
inwardly to the vision of possibility,
of newness and hope, a birth of the
essential and ‘real’ human being.
The Voice of our Inner Angel
How do we listen and for what?
This is an individual process such
that we each take responsibility
to honour our own true inner
worth as human beings with all the
possibilities of renewal and change.
The real path of life is within. All
that we do exteriorly stems from
a consciousness of the interior
world of principles and the ordering
harmony of these immutable, eternal
laws. This is important not only for
personal reasons of self growth but
for a far greater purpose, that of the
great cosmos itself.
We can practise stillness and silence
a few times each day for as little as
five to ten minutes and especially
The New Life
whenever we feel some agitation
or unease. ‘Lean into it’ as a Zen
teacher puts it. Rather than avoiding
the discomfort of any experience,
approach it and let it be there as you
breathe. The unpleasantness will
dissipate, for it is only our reaction
to something which disturbs us.
Then, as we still our nature, we can
open more deeply to the real inner
silence. It is an adventure which
has no bounds. We learn to discern
the fullness of the small voice of our
inner angel, as it were. This voice
has no colour of the tumultuous
world but, though at first dim, has
the tone of love. It may prompt us
to do something we would rather
not do (such as restrain our own self
importance) but always with love.
The depth of our inner world is the
real depth of the cosmos and our
own being rooted in the Divine. In
that depth all the diversity of things
is brought into harmony.
The angels sing their song throughout
the cosmic worlds of nature and the
lives of human beings. They are
forever giving, sustaining, uplifting
whereas we humans take, using up
the resources freely given to us. But,
hush … we may listen and hear
their song resounding throughout
creation. Joining their voices, each
individual may learn to harmonize
and sing a new song, surpassing all
others in perfect Beauty, Truth and
Goodness. U
Michael Lewin’s Journal
I came to see the care home in a completely different
light ... We were in the main dining room at teatime
with the residents sitting quietly at their tables, I
Michael’s Journal raises points
glanced around to notice a number of care assistants
of interest for us all. In this
helping to feed them. One young assistant in particular
issue he shines a light on the
was taking her time to feed an elderly resident but
process of ageing, but of course
unfortunately the resident couldn’t digest properly.
the soul has no age!
The assistant then looked caringly at the woman;
put the spoon of food down, wiped the woman’s face
Reflections on Ageing
with a napkin and simply smiled. She continued to
‘Into my heart an air that kills
remain patiently present, just sitting with the elderly
From yon far country blows:
resident not anxious to undertake anything else.
This mindfulness of presence really resonated with
What are those blue remembered hills,
me, it was just one tender moment but it really made
What spires, what farms are those?
an emotional impact. How I wish I could be this
That is the land of lost content,
concentrated and focused whilst undertaking the small
I see it shining plain,
but significant things in my life instead of rushing
The happy highways where I went
around with an over active mind that feels compelled
And cannot come again.’
to undertake so many things at once.
A E Housman
Later thoughts surfaced in me about the reality of
impermanence ...
Death, I pondered, is just a journey that
ecently I had to visit a care home and
we are all set on and there is nothing to
the experience led to consequences
fear. It’s simply life unfolding in its own
that I hadn’t expected… On first entering
way and we must be accepting of this.
I noticed a group of elderly wheelchair
We have no other choice. The peace
users in one room, with their heads
and serenity I experienced in subsequent
buried in their chests, asleep, quiet,
visits to the care home made me think
in their own un-enterable space. In
that the residents were ready and
another, adjacent room, there were
accepting of their fate – as we must be.
others in wheelchairs shouting and
The ageing process is deeply mysterious;
making strange noises. A bit bewildered,
far beyond our comprehension, so the
I started feeling a certain unease about
best we can really do is journey forward
being there, a sadness that the residents’
in faith and confidence. It is helpful if
lives had come to this. A large part of me
The assistant remained
we can let go of all our anxieties and
wanted to escape because I felt decidedly
patiently present with
surrender to the greater energy of this
uncomfortable confronting ill health and
the elderly resident, not
inexplicable life force of which we are
old age under these conditions. Then a
anxious to undertake
anything
else.
all an integral part. U
strange thing occurred on my next visit,
R
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
23
The New Life
Within and
Beyond Birth
by Simon Ralfe
weather and circumstances it finds
itself in. The drive to perpetuate is
perhaps the most essential aspect of
life, whether it’s the germination of
last season’s seed, or the movement
of a plant’s leaf to search out as much
sunlight as possible. Survival and
reproduction are key aspects of the
story of life.
for insight and enquiry and also the
fruition of the path to liberation.
Stop ~ be aware of this
moment
Awareness can be practised in
everyday life, Buddhist teachings
Simon is a General Practitioner
on mindfulness relate to this.
working in Wiltshire. He is
Mindfulness – or awareness – of
interested in meditation and
the body is an excellent start,
the practise of mindfulness
being aware of body posture,
and its value in helping to
body movement, and the process
reduce anxiety.
of breathing. Just note for
Atoms of iron from the
instance the physical sensation
early universe now sit in
of breathing in and out. There
our red blood cells.
is no right or wrong way to
do this, no need to try to do
pring is coming. New life
it ‘right’. Simply be aware of
will soon emerge from
what is happening right at that
under the blanket of snow that
moment, directly.
covers the ground as I write
this. The emergence of new Observation and questioning lead human beings Mindfulness of feelings relates
to search for something more
to simply knowing what
life from sunlight, earth, water
than just survival.
feeling is present, whether
and air is a mystery – how can
pleasant or unpleasant, there is
a tree form from a seed and these
Yet is there more? Science and
no judgement attached, eg ‘I feel
elements? It’s a form of alchemy
spiritual enquiry are both responses
angry, that is bad, I shouldn’t feel
creating new life and perpetuating
to a feeling that there is a deeper truth
angry.’ Simply note there is anger
life that’s already here.
about life to uncover. Observation
present. This simple act is enough
A key part of the birth of new life is
and questioning lead human beings
to liberate you from that emotion
the cycle that leads to it. Everything
– and perhaps other species – to
at that moment.
on our planet, in our universe, is
search for something more than just
Mindfulness of thinking is helpful
continually changing in a process
survival and renewal. Questions
to gain insight into mental habits.
of birth, growth, decay and death.
like, ‘Why are we here?’and ‘What
For instance, ‘I really want chocolate’
The flow of energy and mass, their
is the meaning of life?’ lead us on.
interactions and reactions result in
is a thought which if unconscious
Sometimes the existential experience
continual change. Life is the process
can lead to eating the whole bar!
of suffering pushes us on to find an
of energy continually changing form,
Note the thought, there’s no need
answer, or a knowledge, that can
never standing still.
to analyse it further, no need to add
help us understand and transcend
a judgement, eg ‘I’m so greedy or I
We are made up of atoms which
the pain we all feel at one time or
shouldn’t’. The natural intelligence
were formed in the early universe,
another.
of your own awareness will help you
the furnaces of stars which died
The answer that many religions point
to decide what to do next, leading to
and were scattered across space in
to is the use of our own consciousness
fresh possibilities.
unimaginably intense destructive
or awareness to investigate and
explosions. Atoms of iron from these
Through greater understanding we
penetrate the mysteries of life:
explosions now sit in our red blood
can learn the true value of life. We
to go beyond the process of birth
cells allowing us to transport oxygen,
can appreciate the effect of our actions
that inexorably leads to death. A
nurturing our cells and allowing
on those we know and the world as a
Buddhist teaching says, ‘There is the
us to live. Destruction, sometimes
whole. A balance in an ever changing
unborn, the unmanifest, the uncreated,
seemingly violent, is crucial for our
dynamic can be achieved, where you
without which escape from the born,
own existence, and that of every
naturally live harmoniously with
the manifest and the created, would
animal on the planet.
yourself, your friends, family and the
be impossible.’ Awareness is this
wider world. U
unborn state, and it is both the tool
Life has evolved according to the
S
24
The New Life
An Unexpected
Journey
by Stephanie Sorrèll
Stephanie is a former editor
of New Vision and has written
many inspiring books
ow on earth are you going
to get me out of this mess,
God, I muttered to myself as I
retraced my steps to Earl’s Court
underground station in the rain? I
had just arrived at the hotel where I
was staying for a couple of nights to
find that my bag, containing money,
bank cards, mobile phone, my
return railway ticket and important
phone numbers had been stolen.
Searching around in my pocket, I
garnered loose change amounting
to six pence. The hotel had already
asked for identification and I had
nothing to offer save a recent
membership to Kew Gardens.
As I had believed, nothing had been
handed over in the underground.
The rain was driving down harder so
that my umbrella was insubstantial
and I was forced to take shelter
in shop doorways. My mind was
a blank as I retraced my steps
back to the hotel. I had to remind
myself that I had been in far more
daunting situations than this. At
least I was in my own country and
if the worse came to the worst, I
could hitchhike back to Cumbria
although, admittedly, youth and
the good looks that go with that,
were no longer at my beck and call!
Aside from this I had excruciating
back pain from catching a chill
and wished I’d followed everyone’s
advice and cancelled my trip to
London. In retrospect, this would
have been the sensible solution.
But my longing to have a few days
away after a challenging few months
health-wise and financially, had
predominated. I was on a quest
to do some important research at
H
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
Kew Gardens, visit David Nash’s
amazing sculptures and reconnect
with friends.
The hotel receptionist who was on
call, Mojo, was very obliging and
helpful, letting me use his mobile
phone to make calls. And it was a
relief that he actually had my credit
card number from when I’d paid the
deposit and was able to access those
funds. I think I must have spent
over two hours in reception making
calls so that even the newcomers to
the hotel were under the impression
that I worked there!
‘Well, at least you’ve got a roof over
your head’ said Linda, the friend I had
been staying with in Surrey. She had
phoned to offer practical suggestions
about reporting my stolen cards and
obtaining a crime reference number.
Hanne, my friend, had found a
phone number for one of the friends
I was due to meet up with in Kew
Gardens the following day and was
able to tell me that Anna would come
and pick me up at the hotel the next
morning. We would travel through
the underground together to see if I
could access a replacement ticket for
my return journey. Miraculously, I
was able to get a 75% refund from
the girl at head office through the
crime reference number. Initially
the member of staff dealing with my
case was suspicious of my request
but as time passed and we came into
relationship with each other, she
became helpful; it was as if the sun
had broken through.
Afterwards, Anna and I caught up
with news about the other students
who studied psychosynthesis with
us in London. All the time I was
marvelling at the way that seemingly
impossible situations can pan out
towards a favourable solution with
goodwill and connectivity.
Now having returned to Cumbria
from London, although lighter financially, my heart has become warmed
with the spirit of goodwill that I have
encountered during my few days
away. I have a sense of enrichment
rather than impoverishment. And
the mess that I thought the robbery
had left me in was a deeper and wiser
Plan working out. I know my experience diminishes in stature when held
against the very real and unbearable
situations working out in the world.
But contrary to seemingly diminishing experiences, there is a Plan which
fosters our spiritual and psychological
growth. Having been connected with
Henry Thomas Hamblin’s teaching
for many years, I have learned to follow ‘the river that knows the way’
which, to me, translates as an inner
calling, responding to a spiritual longing. With hindsight, I have learned
never to judge the package that the
response to that longing arrives in, because appearances can be deceptive.
Experiences that jerk us away from
the known and the familiar are often
indicators of a greater Plan working
through. The learning opportunities,
which may be challenging and
lead us into areas where we feel
scared and out of our depth, may be
promptings of the Divine inviting us
to plunge into ‘the river that knows
the way’. It isn’t easy. No one ever
said it is. Pain and difficulty sharpen
our inner vision and obscure our
outer vision and obsession with
material values.
The founder of this work, Henry
Thomas Hamblin, was a man of
vision in several ways. On one level
he began his career as an optician
striving to improve people’s vision on
the physical level, but later, through
great inner testing, his efforts to
improve vision became channelled
onto the spiritual level. This vision
is bifocal where our spiritual insight,
often gleaned through difficulty and
loss, enables us to see the greater
picture. Ironically, it is often through
loss and wounding that we are open
to deeper spiritual enrichment. U
25
Tammy’s Story
From a member…
A
n adventure befell me last
S e p t e m b e r, i n v o l v i n g a
beloved cat, who for the purpose
of this article, I shall call ‘Tammy’.
The adventure being one of such
alarm at the time – and of such
extraordinar y unfoldment, as
I discovered later through my
wonderful friend and Animal
Communicator, Anne Dee, that she
and others have urged me to write
it up. This is how it began…
I had gone up to the old loft in my
cottage – a fairly capacious area – but
you cannot quite stand up in it, so not
the most comfortable place to visit;
but a useful storage space with two
narrow ‘channels’ into the further
interior, under the roof, which Tammy
liked to visit to explore for mice.
Tammy is a ver y special feline
companion, being without jealousy
of any kind towards the wildlife that
I cherish, and with whom we share
this place; taking seriously his role
here, as explained to him by Anne, as
a guardian – especially of the birds.
He actually briefly caught, one day,
a baby red squirrel of the family that
visits us – simply, as he explained
to Anne after wards, because he
thought I would like to stroke it! His
lovable character seems to be part
and parcel of his nature which, Anne
explained to me, was that of a slightly
disadvantaged child.
Tammy wears on his collar (with
elastic insert of course) a bell of
which he is extremely proud. While
it is there to give a special warning
to the birds, (as just occasionally his
irrepressible ‘cat’ nature takes over,
and he may take a leap at one) his
explanation of it is that … ‘it is there
so that I can always find him!’ And
while he is very good at coming when
I call him, he sometimes likes to vary
this with a little tinkling of his bell
from a hidden place!
26
On this occasion I had gone up into
the loft on an intensive search for
something, and thus was only vaguely
aware of surrounding circumstances,
but I was aware that Tammy had
entered soon after me, and disappeared
down one of the channels. I usually
keep the door shut to him in daylight
hours to prevent even the faintest
chance of a little bird being brought
up into that dark interior. ‘He does
not always distinguish clearly, at times
of high excitement, between a bird
and a mouse’, Anne had explained to
me, so she has told him always to look
for the ears and the tail! However, I
was not too concerned that he had got
in because he was so good at coming
when I called.
Presently the friend arrived for whom
I had been searching the loft for the
object needed for a piece of joinery
work he was going to do, and as we
both left the loft I called for Tammy.
However, there was no response –
not even the tinkling of a bell. I felt
puzzled and disturbed by this silence;
but my friend pointed out that as
we had been searching so intently,
Tammy might well have left the loft
without our noticing. However, while
accepting the possibility of this it was
difficult for me to believe it since I
would surely have heard his little bell
tinkling as he went.
When my friend had left, and after
carefully closing the loft door, so
that I knew Tammy could not leave
it without my knowing, I made a
thorough search of the garden, calling
at every step. There was no response.
Becoming convinced that he was still
in the loft, I returned there, calling
him again and again, now in real
distress. Still no response. As such a
silence in answer to my calling was so
completely out of character for him,
I gradually began to feel distraught,
since I could not explore the narrow
loft channels for myself.
By now it was lunchtime but I knew
I could not swallow a mouthful. I
was scheduled to visit Edinburgh the
following day for a special annual
meeting with a friend, but knew I
could not face such an occasion in this
state and so saw the situation spilling
over into others’ lives, disarranging
their plans too. In such a state,
indeed, I wondered how I could cope
with the days ahead at all.
Sunk in this mental and emotional
abyss, it finally struck me that the
first thing I needed to deal with
was myself. In this distraught
state I turned, with some relief, to
the writings of Henry Thomas
Hamblin, and particularly to
some words with which I was long
familiar, from his ‘Little Book of
Right Thinking’, words which I had
turned to at other times and always
found powerful, albeit extremely
challenging. These words instruct
one to look beyond appearances and
to know, inwardly, that all is well –
words which, often pondered, had
helped to explain to me the miracles
of Jesus, as of other great souls. For
how could they have brought that
‘wellness’ (in whatever scenario)
through into being, unless it had
been held as manifested, clearly,
consistently and unshakably in their
inner gaze, in the first place?
I recognised that it was precisely this
state of becalmment which I needed
– needed more than anything, and
needed far more than the state of
distraught turbulence at present
engulfing me. To become calm, and
centred, was the thing that mattered
most of all.
Withdrawing myself, as I pondered,
from the so distressing outward
scenario to this ‘place’ of inner
stillness, I found the outer scene
gradually transform itself in turn.
Presently it came to me that, in this
state of inner calm, I would after
all be able to make the journey to
Edinburgh. I was even able, quietly,
to make a late lunch and have it out
in the garden.
The New Life
At the same time I thought with great
thankfulness of my very remarkable
friend, the animal communicator,
who had the ability to tune into
animals reported to her as being
lost, or in any state of distress, and
to whom I knew, ultimately, I could
turn. But I felt it was not the time to
turn to her yet – that I must wait and
see what the afternoon would bring.
And so passed several hours.
Suddenly, towards five o’clock in
the evening, from the region of the
loft a loud thump broke the silence.
Knowing this could only mean
Tammy, I was catapulted at once up
the stairs, calling his name as I went.
Sure enough, when I opened the
door, there he was walking, somewhat
hesitantly, towards me – not too
sure of his reception after his long
unexplained silence. But overcome
with joy at his reappearance, I simply
held out my arms to him …
So he had been there all the time! But
the deep puzzle remained: that long
period of dead silence, followed by
his sudden emergence all those hours
later and apparently in a perfectly
normal state! Why had he failed to
respond earlier to all my calls to him
– my calls of such distress?
Presently, that evening, I brought
Tammy to the telephone and rang
Anne – for he always loved speaking
to her, and would purr and rub
his head against the instrument in
delight! I asked her to discover from
him what had taken place during
those long hours of silence in the loft.
This is what she told me.
Searching the interior of the loft,
Tammy had espied and followed
a mouse which then disappeared
behind some boarding. Tammy had
poked his head behind the boards to
find it but the cavity his head then
entered, one of triangular form, had a
very narrow apex at the top. Realizing
presently that the mouse was lost
beyond his reach, Tammy had then
tried to withdraw his head by jerking
New Vision ~ Spring 2013
it upwards to get it out. But his jerking
was to no avail since it only locked
his head ever more tightly into the
triangle’s apex; and to his even greater
distress – upon hearing my desperate
calls to him – he could not even tinkle
his bell.
It was only when I became calm
that Tammy was able to still his
turbulence and receive the vital
message from the All-power
which ever watches us.
Seeing no way to free himself, as
time went on he became more and
more distraught – panic struck at his
situation. And then, from where he
knew not, he became aware of a voice
calling to him, a woman’s voice. It
said simply: ‘Go to sleep, Tammy!’
Being an obedient little cat – and no
doubt thankful in that state to enter
oblivion – he at once responded, and
sank down, his whole body collapsing
readily into sleep – whereupon his
head descended, naturally, from the
apex of the triangle, to its ample base.
Thus he had slept away several hours.
Finally, upon awakening, he had
simply – at once and without thought
of it – withdrawn his head from the
hole, and so made his way back into
the main area of the loft, to announce
his presence with a thump when he
found that the exit was closed.
I was quite stunned! Not only at
hearing so extraordinary – yet so clear
and understandable – an explanation
of the whole mystery, but also to think
that Anne was able to recount to me,
so exactly, every detail of Tammy’s
adventure, from his inability to tinkle
his bell, to the becalming message that
finally reached him, and with the one
instruction that was able to ensure his
eventual release. For, as Anne said,
in the state of panic he had reached,
who knows what tragedy might have
befallen him had he not received that
vital message, spoken in the tones of
a feminine voice that were so familiar
to him.
Taking in the whole amazing account,
there of course came back to me
forcibly the part so clearly played
in it by HT Hamblin’s words. For
having long been aware of how our
thoughts, radiating outwards, affect
our experience in what they attract,
I could not fail to see that, so long
as I remained in that state of inner
turmoil, I was achieving nothing for
Tammy beyond adding to his own
panic. Only the quiet calming, which
I eventually reached – stilling the
turbulent waves of my consciousness
– could then, (so profoundly were we
linked), still his turbulence sufficiently
for him to receive the vital message
from that All-power which ever
watches us and waits to help. U
Postscript
It was not until some time later that evening
that there came back to me, from the
threshold of memory, a special happening
which had marked the beginning of that day.
Upon waking, and looking towards my
bedroom window, my gaze had happened to
rest upon a certain glass goblet, brought back
from Czechoslovakia long ago by an aunt. It
always beautifully caught the morning light
and had many facets encircling it just under
the rim. Now, suddenly, for the first time,
with the sun shining through it, the goblet
had presented to me the appearance as of a
bird’s head, with two shining eyes looking out
at me from it – their gaze as though simply,
quietly, observing me. How strange! – I had
thought. It was as if it held a message of how,
through our busy days, One is always there,
unseen, behind the changing scenes of our
life. One, quietly watching and waiting…
ready for us when we are ready to turn to It
for help. The remembrance, finally, of that
morning’s awakening crowned my day.
Note: ‘Tammy’s Story’ was sent to us by
a subscriber in Scotland. In view of the
help she has received over many years from
Anne Dee she feels that others may wish to
know about Anne’s work. Her details are as
follows: 07730 878769 www.annedee.co.uk
27
book reviews
Loving Every
Moment by David
Stirling with
Uranda Stirling
published by
Polair Publishing,
PO Box 34886,
Kensington
London W8 6YR
at £8.99,
ISBN: 978-1-905398-23-2 Firstly this is a most attractive
book to hold. It is a hardback
and has a beautifully designed
cover of great simplicity
and this elegance of format
continues into the book itself.
Why do I mention this? Surely
it is the content which is
important? Indeed, but the
design and layout selected is
an important aspect of David
Stirling’s ideas.
The thrust of the book is simply
to love every moment and he
elegantly sets about helping us
to do this. But surely, I hear you
cry, I cannot love being in pain,
being bored, being unhappy,
can I? We are reminded that
God, our Father, provides us
with every breath we breathe
and we can never be too
thankful. To aid us with this
he provides a ‘TYG’ (Thank You
God) superimposed over a green
flower at the necessary places in
the text. He also uses an ‘H&N’
(Here and Now) superimposed
over a pink flower at various
places.
The thoughts being the place
‘Where All Things Begin’, we are
encouraged to love our thoughts,
both positive and negative and
also our fears and anger. At the
end of the various sections the
author has listed several ways to
love and advises ‘A Daily Love
List’ setting out a sample one.
There are also blank pages for
Notes/Love List. One example
he gave us I found very helpful
28
and that is to cover a person or
situation with a transparent love
blanket slowly and lovingly. He
gives us some situations where
this might apply.
We are encouraged to love
everyone and everything. This
includes Hitler and Stalin. I
found some difficulty with
this as I could not separate the
person from their actions but he
explains that he does this from
time to time to remind himself
that God loves everybody, no
matter what they have done.
This book would make a lovely
present! However, it does need
some dedication and time to
benefit from it and to ground
the method.
Mary Pearson
The Art of
Happiness
in a
Troubled
World by
His Holiness
The Dalai
Lama and
Howard
C Cutler,
published
by Hodder
and Stoughton Ltd, 338 Euston
Road, London NW1 3BH, price
£7.99,
ISBN 978 0 340 79440 1
‘The Art of Happiness in
a Troubled World’ is a
continuation of the discourse
between the authors that started
in 1993 and resulted in the
publication of a series of books
on the subject of happiness.
These books have become the
classic guides to an enlightened
approach to living.
In this book the authors have
focused on the way communities
and other outside influences
affect happiness.
This is a most interesting and
readable book. The subject
matter is complex but due to
the obvious respect that the
authors have for each other it
has been dealt with in a direct
and considered manner.
There are many occasions where
the Dalai Lama’s kindness and
humour shine through. This
is especially so when Howard
Cutler misunderstands the point
that His Holiness is making
because he is looking at it from
a Western viewpoint. Patiently,
the Dalai Lama ensures that his
words are fully understood.
One of the main points to come
out of this book is that much
unhappiness and sadness can
be attributed to the breakdown
of communities. Howard Cutler
deals with this issue and also
how our instinctive human
reactions that ensured survival
of the species in its early
development now cause serious
problems in today’s society.
It is His Holiness’s firm belief
that having a positive attitude
and engaging in community
activities can increase personal
happiness. It is encouraging
that these spiritual and practical
recommendations are supported
by results of experiments carried
out in Europe and America and
detailed in this book.
The Dalai Lama’s calm, positive
and non judgmental approach
to life is a beacon of light to
those wishing to move away
from the selfish, aggressive and
confrontational way of life that
is prevalent in our Western
culture. U
David Anstey
The New Life