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I enjoyed the send-up of the media, the scientists and the politicians in “Don’t Look Up”, a recent film about a PhD student’s discovery of a huge asteroid headed towards planet Earth. On the one hand it’s totally believable that those in power wouldn’t take seriously the fact that we could be headed towards the 6th extinction, preferring to focus on their own self-interest.   On the other hand, there have been all kinds of initiatives - by governments, organisations and individuals to help combat climate change and reshape our world.

Can we add to the light that is breaking through across the world?

Right now at the end of 2021 darkness and gloom appear to reign and the problems of the world may seem overwhelming.  Yet amidst the turbulence there are many indications that light is increasing as individuals reassess their values and re-prioritize what really matters in their lives.

We’ve arrived at a crossroads where we have a choice.  We can continue headlong into the collapse of civilisation as we know it and life on earth itself, or we can try to create a different kind world.  On many fronts we are facing crises, but they are all pointing us in one direction - that of fundamental change.

Now I’ve reached a certain age, I make a point of glancing at obituaries.  It’s fascinating to see what rich and fulfilling lives so many people have lived.  One recently caught my attention because it was highly unusual - that of Sister Mary Joseph, known until 1989 as Ann Russell Miller.  Once a wealthy Californian socialite associating with the rich and famous, after the death of her husband, on her 61st birthday she threw an enormous party in San Francisco.  The next day she flew to Chicago to join the Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel where she remained for the next thirty years.

As a gardener, May is my favourite month as spring seems to explode with a vibrancy that I can’t help but be moved by.  The trees now reveal their soft green foliage so that the structure of the branches is still visible against the blue sky.  Refreshed by the welcome rain, they are a glorious backdrop to the brilliant colours of the tulips, camellias, rhododendrons, irises and primulas that I have planted throughout my garden and love so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8RrYABYe4E&ab_channel=NitinDas

Worth watching this 3-minute video on how we, like the rivers of the world, can recharge our batteries after dealing with stress, and build resilience.  Nature teaches us so much!

Once again the Spring Equinox is here, heralding new life and offering hope for better days to come.  The long dark winter is over and  the light is increasing daily.  Yes, we may have haze and low cloud right now, and long for the sun to break through, but all around us the signs of abundant life returning are evident - delicate pink and white blossom adorning the trees, soft green leaves unfurling, a symphony of birdsong, and the cheerful swaying of daffodils in the breeze.

Feel uplifted!  A beautiful visual meditation - a short film by Katie Teague, accompanied by peaceful music - reminding us of how the beauty of nature connects us to the sacred.

https://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=7960

We are not living in unprecedented times, as many keep claiming - just different and immensely challenging times!  Even the briefest of reviews of history reveal that humanity has lived through countless terrible times before, when all hope seemed lost, and yet the human race has survived, adapted and evolved.

Something remarkable is happening at the close of this year of the pandemic my astrology friends tell me.  Not only was there a total solar eclipse on 14 December, but also on the Solstice - 21 December - the planets Saturn and Jupiter will be so closely aligned they will look like a double planet to form what is known as a Great Conjunction.  Such Great Conjunctions are extremely rare.  The last time the phenomenon was visible was in the Middle Ages, prior to the Renaissance, although a similar alignment occurred in 1623, but was too close to the sun to be seen.