On a chilly November morning in 2012, I was sitting silently on the floor of a cozy attic. The rain rattled on the windows, offering a steady melodic backdrop to our self-awareness training. Mindfulness is all the hype now, but back then it was simply time spent in quiet inquiry.‘What is love?’ The teacher broke… Continue reading What is love?
Author: Helen
It is our light
The new moon just passed, reminding me of the practise I adopted a few months ago. One thought, one action, one moon. Little by little, this practice has changed my life with each cycle. It's quite simple. At the first week of the actual moon cycle – not a euphemism for my period – I… Continue reading It is our light
Forgiven
She stepped up to the podium. The woman who had agreed to dance my dance. To mirror my truth and help me see myself more clearly. She took a breath, a bow. Her hands moved... then her head. Her body tensed. I cringed. Do you remember this song Killing Me Softly by Roberta Flack? Strumming my… Continue reading Forgiven
The void in us
Have you met the place inside you that stays empty, no matter what you try?The place that’s always uncomfortable and home to a selection of various fears? I call it the void inside me. The crater that can not be filled. Today I think it’s an echo of the big Void that existed before the… Continue reading The void in us
Origins of anger (two)
Before you continue, read this part first. Standing in a simple whitewashed chapel, I have the body of a teenage girl. Fourteen, perhaps fifteen. I feel (or she feels) cornered, contained, humiliated. Tears are streaming down our face as we clench in mad rage. It’s not fair! The scream echoes in our head as the… Continue reading Origins of anger (two)
Origins of anger (one)
Deep in a guided, subconscious healing journey, I rage and weep in front of my therapist. ‘I am so angry, so angry at them all! This world is doomed and I can't do anything. I just want to hurt him, hurt all of them for doing this to me, to us!’ My fists clench as… Continue reading Origins of anger (one)
Believing God
God had an odd place in my upbringing. Something each of us thought about, but rarely mentioned. I grew up on Christian fairy tales about the Man who lived in Heaven, who created the World and all the tiny animals, but really didn’t do a good job with humans, so He had to send a… Continue reading Believing God
Making peace
All children want to live in a peaceful world. I know I did. Throughout my life I’ve been grateful for that. I’ve even felt guilty for the privilege. Not every child in this world is as lucky as I have been. Growing up in a country that had just received it's independence, raised near lakes… Continue reading Making peace
