Biscuit

At primary school my nickname was Biscuit. Because I was thin, weedy and fragile: I would crumble so easily.
 

I’m now realising, 55 years later, how much I used to dread play-times. I don’t think I was bullied as such, just couldn’t cope with the rough and tumble. I’ve long remembered how I used to hate sports and games at secondary school and would (subconsciously?) invent all many of minor ailments in order to get a sick note from my mum so I didn’t have to do them. But it’s only just coming out (thanks to the universe getting me to live in an area of town that, due to its proximity to a primary school, is, effectively, a play-ground) just how bad it was for me. Reliving it is bringing on my IBS as little has before: reflecting the stomach aches I regularly had in those days. And the hay-fever is being triggered so easily, reflecting the regular colds I always had whilst at school. I was sickly. But was that cause of effect in relation to my play-ground aversion? Probably a vicious circle.

And one not helped by a couple of other factors: my eyes were bad (short-sighted) but we hadn’t realised it at the time, so I wouldn’t have been able to see balls to catch, for example. And my mum was school secretary, so would always be keeping an eye on me and protecting me.

And we didn’t do emotions in our house. So, however I felt about it all was bottled up, held in. It came out in all my minor ailments, but those were physical, weren’t they? Treated with a dose of this linctus or that tonic. No mental health advisors in schools in those days . . and would they have picked up on my fears and helped me face them?

Who knows, but those memories have to be faced. The biscuit has to be taken, dunked and dissolved.

Is football natural?

With millions tuning in to The World Cup, there’s no doubt that football is popular amongst humans, both to play and to watch. But is it a natural pastime?

Do any other animals play soccer, or any other ball-game for that matter? No! It’s a human invention and unique to humans which, by some definitions, makes in un-natural.

My home-office windows looks out over a small area of grass used by the neighbouring children to play all manner of games. There’s little question that football is the most popular and sometime there’ll be a proper game taking place. Or the younger ones will be learning some natural hand-eye coordination and getting some natural fresh air and exercise. But, all too often, the playing will be very half-hearted or the thud of boot on ball a clear indicator that ‘playing’ football is far more about relieving frustration or attempting to relieve boredom. Do any other creatures suffer from frustration and boredom? Both are very un-natural.

And then there’s the spectators. Do any other creatures sit for hours watching their follows in some pastime (sporting or otherwise)? Through all my decades watching David Attenborough I do not recall any such situation described. So, we could say that spectator sports are un-natural.

As for the commercialisation of sport, how un-natural can you get!?

Don’t get me wrong, there are, I have to admit, some amazing skillful footballers around. Their ability to control the ball and related athleticism is undoubtedly a God-given gift, a natural talent. And it’s only natural to want to develop and display such talents. Think of the wonderful displays of aerobatics by dolphins, for example. If football was always played in the same spirit, then yes, it might be considered natural. And, interestingly, if it were always played naturally, as other creatures play, we would probably get much better matches . . .

Becasue it's there!

Ask a mountaineer or hill-walker why they climb, and you may well get the answer “because it’s there!”. Personally that doesn’t resonate with me at all. I enjoy exploring and like my fresh air and exercise, but to go ever higher, to test myself against the elements just doesn’t do it for me. And why should it? Are we not all different?

Watch a litter of puppies or group of young children and you’ll see a wide range of characters. Some will express their zest for life by crawling, then climbing anywhere and everywhere. Others will do their exploring more inwardly: watching, observing, ‘taking it all in’. That’s always been me.

Don’t get me wrong, give me the opportunity to explore a different ancient town or botanic gardens or different culture (particularly though its food and drink!) and I’ll take you up on the offer. Physical experience is still important to me, but I’m not interested in the extremes. I watch some of the extreme sports now practiced and have no inner answer to the ‘why?’ people do it. Are they adrenalin junkies, I wonder? But they might consider those like me to me information junkies, I suppose.

I used to crave information, facts and theories. As a boy my head would always be in a book, seeking answers to the questions of life. As my eyes have deteriorated and I’ve got more in Zen and the Tao, I’ve become more discerning. No longer soaking up any and all information. Now what matters is coming to terms with my immediate surrounding and finding some inner peace with my here and now situation. The inner drive, that has always been asking ‘why? How?’ in the back (if not the front) of my head now urges me to take a step back from the mental machinations and tune-in. To go within and feel the situation, to know whatever it is I need to through being at one with it. My exploration is increasing at a deeper level, beyond boundaries of body or mind . . . where ever fewer have trod before. Which may be why so few understand enough to recognize the achievements of those on a similar journey. It’s another paradox to be embraced: how can anyone appreciate something they don’t understand?

But that, I realise is what bugs me: if you’re ahead of the pack on an athletics track or race track you’re glorified and worshipped. If you dare to stick your neck out in front on matters more intellectual or esoteric you’re more usually ridiculed or persecuted. What’s going on? A mountaineer who goes where not human foot has ever trod, just because it’s there, is hailed as a hero . .. but those who dare to think thoughts that no man has thought before are considered fools (although both groups may also be considered mad). In both cases we’re both merely responding to an inner urge to explore, to grow, to evolve. In the case of progressive thinkers we would argue that our ideas are for the benefit of humanity. And yes, we would consider that we are leading the way . . . like the pioneers of mountaineering. All we ask is for the same recognition that they get, please.

A weekend without WiFi!

Yes! It's possible: a whole long weekend (Friday evening until Monday morning) without any use of PC nor Smart-phone; no internet, no computer games . . . through choice!

And I feel better for it. The weather here was wild and wet: just the incentive to hibernate . So that's what we did! After a testing time since Christmas, we took the opportunity to do as little as possible, giving mind and bodies chance to catch-up with themselves. And didn't they need it!

OK: I admit we did watch some TV and video . . . but very selectively: Shrek Forever and The Sound of Music: uplifting films to reconnect to true, decent, values and remind us what really matters in life.

Whilst we probably can't go many days without WiFi and the Internet these days, because so much depends on it, it's good, from time to time, to reassure ourselves that we're not actually addicted to it!

Try it some time

Keith

Your own Reality Check

With so many untruths, if not downright lies being shared on social media these days, now more than ever we need a reliable way of separating fact from fiction. If we read something on-line, how do we know whether we can trust it or not?

It's all to do with tuning-in to the reality around, reading between the lines and getting a feel for what’s really going on: which is often quite different to what we’re being told!

We all have such an ability. The trouble is that many of us have lost it. Instead we've become conditioned to trusting Facebook posts or top Google search results. We forget that just because a given piece of info has been viewed a lot doesn't make it reliable information.

So how can we become more discerning?

By becoming more aware. More aware, perhaps of snap decisions based on dodgy evidence; of re-acting without reflecting instead of taking time to step back and see the bigger picture.

Count to ten

This is a positive and worthwhile habit we can readily cultivate. Having the intent to do so is half the battle. And we might remember the sage advice to “count to ten”  . . . before we say or do something that we might regret or that’s taking us and humanity in the wrong direction.

More than that, we can take up some form of mindfulness practice  . . . or Reiki: the Usui system of natural healing. Yes, ‘healing’: what better way to heal our own lives than to stop taking in garbage information! We increasingly know the value of watching what we eat, selecting only things with nutritious or other value to our bodies. The same is equally true of the ideas, facts and theories that we consume via the internet and other forms of media.  Healing, feeling happier and healthier, depends much on feeding our hearts with compassion and our minds with inspiration.

Reiki Healing is a natural and simple technique that helps us do these things: reconnecting us to our innate ability to know what’s good for us, to encourage and enable an increased awareness of where we are, and where we are not, listening to the deeper, higher truths that will improve our own health and well-being . . . and that of the human race.

Reiki training is now available on line

Every day is a Holy-Day

You don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate the true spirit of Christmas. “Peace on Earth, goodwill to all men” is an intent understandable to and appreciated by men and women of pretty much any religion or no religion.

So as we attempt to bring peace, health and inner harmony into our personal lives, how can we tap into this true spirit of love and shared humanity?

Some years ago I moved into a remote new home in the hills of the Algarve in Portugal. The scenery was stunning, the weather amazing. It really was like being on holiday every day. So it came to me that “Every day IS a holy-day!”

It’s true isn’t it! Whatever being holy may mean to us, it’s something that is intrinsic to life. Life is holy, every day is holy, full of the natural things that allow us to live on this amazing planet. True, vacations from the typical daily trials of work help us to better appreciate the innocence of children, the importance of family, the value of a caring community, for example. But they are ever present.

I know, from personal experience, that, so often, it’s my mind that gets in the way of treating every day as a holi-day. I’ve also found that it’s been much easier to reconnect to this ever present life-force (even since moving from my Algarve retreat), with Reiki in my life. The Usui System of Natural Healing is based on the energy of Reiki: the universal life-force. That very energy of everything that makes every day feel like a holi-day. Learnt (or rather remembered, it’s a natural skills, gift or ability we all have) in a few day or short on-line course, Usui Reiki helps to sense the life-force within us and within life around. As such it’s a wonderful gift. 

Giving and receiving Reiki is about both presence, the feeling of being at peace with yourself and with the world, and a present: a gift to us from the universe itself.

(Note: the property ‘Quinta Pintados’ is currently up forsale. Do let me know if you’re interested in your own personal retreat home!)