Is there rubbish in Paradise?

Sri Lanka is advertised in travel brochures and web sites as `Paradise Island'. After the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami it seemed far from paradise, but gradually the re-building began, thanks to wonderful help from many donors all over the world. Then came another tragedy - the re-start of the long time civil war which devastated much of the north and east of the country. 
      I have had the privilege to have an opportunity to work with some of the people trying to help re-build their lives after the double troubles. On my travels there just recently, I have seen Tamil and Singhalese people working side by side to help those stricken by the war, disease and poverty. It is heart warming, indeed almost miraculous, to see people who were on opposite sides  in the war, trying to help one another. I believe the Little Temple for world peace, shown in the photo, with a six pointed Star shining on its roof (and a large star also painted across the floor) is helping radiate the energy of peace and reconciliation to many hearts. 

       I believe the magic of the Star is also affecting the politicians!
      Anyone who has traveled in Asia, is probably aware of the `rubbish problem`. Most of my Asian travels have been in the Indian sub-continent. I have been appalled at the rubbish which is piled around the streets. The only beaches which are kept clean are those patrolled by employees of the big hotel chains, who want to keep up the `paradise image`. One of the problems is that it is not in the consciousness of most of the people to dispose of rubbish in a tidy way. When something is used, the empty carton is thrown to the wind! 
      The `paradise beach` near the Little Temple has always had a rubbish problem. I have watched local women coming on to the beach in the early morning, with their bags of rubbish! They think the wind and waves will blow it away. Seeing this over the years, I have intensified my prayers about the whole issue of pollution of the Earth`s beauty - often through ignorance. Mostly the ordinary local people have not had the benefit of education about the damage rubbish is causing to their animals, sea birds, trees and flowers.
      Our prayers and work with the Star does help. When I arrived in Sri Lanka on this trip, I had a joyful surprise when I looked at my beach...much of the rubbish had been cleared, and signs erected asking the local people not to dump more! At last the local council and politicians (an election had just taken place) were doing something. Star prayers were working! But it is a question of KOKO ing, for already little piles of rubbish are re-appearing!
      It has come to me that we can work specifically to help the rubbish issue - not just in the Indian sub-continent, but all over the world, by concentrating on the Green Ray (a wonderfully cleansing ray), shining from the heart of the Star. I have started to visualise this Ray shining not only into the earth, the trees and nature, but also touching human hearts and minds. I particularly see it inspiring teachers and those who have the power to influence children and young people, and of course to environmental workers and politicians too. It is all of us who can change our world, and make it truly `Paradise on Earth`. Let`s do it together. 

The Art of Happiness

I gave a talk in our New Lands Temple recently on the theme of Happiness. Here in the UK, January can be a long, dark, heavy month. All the excitement of Christmas is over. The post is no longer full of greetings cards, more likely bills.  The weather is usually cold and wet, and some mornings it seems it will never get light! We were blessed on that Sunday because the weather was mild and the sun shining. It made me reflect that perhaps something which can most quickly lift our spirits is sunshine. No wonder White Eagle likens God to the sun. (Many years ago we published a children’s book called Hullo Sun, teaching young ones first steps in spiritual understanding.)

White Eagle often refers to happiness in his teaching. Indeed, one of our very early White Eagle books was entitled Religion of Happiness.

Perhaps the best known of his sayings about happiness is in fact the very last passage in The Quiet Mind. In my talk I went through this phrase by phrase, looking at the meaning of each.

Underpinning them all is the keynote of love and faith in God’s love and God’s perfect plan. To me this is the secret of being happy. But I was also intrigued to read another passage of his teaching where he talks about ‘The Art of Happiness’.  This phrase really caught my attention. I thought, yes, it is an art. Whatever is going on in our lives, we can learn to accept and look for the lesson it offers us. It is our choice then, whether we try to learn the lesson or grumble and complain.  We can choose to see our glass as half empty or half full.

So, in this new year ahead, as the dark, cold winter days give way to the lighter, warmer days of spring (here in the Northern Hemisphere) perhaps our intention we might wish to make is to see our glass as half full—or even full to the brim with golden new year blessing and joy!

I end now with White Eagle’s words referred to earlier:‘Happiness is the realisation of God in the heart.  Happiness is the result of praise and thanksgiving, of faith, of acceptance, a quiet, tranquil realisation of the love of God.  This brings to the soul perfect and indescribable happiness.  God is happiness.’

Love is the only answer

‘Apply love by your inner attitude towards any human problem. Put aside the reasoning mind. Let divine love operate in you. From your inner self give God’s love, and you will be surprised to

find that every problem will be solved; every knot loosened.’ (White Eagle in ‘The Quiet Mind’)

When we listen and see the news reports about the violent happenings in Paris,

and all the repercussions, it could be easy to feel hopeless about there ever being a long-term resolution to all the issues involved.

Whatever is going on in the world, I always try to hold fast to my absolute belief that there is an answer and that in spite of everything, humanity is making progress towards greater understanding between nations, religions and different cultures.  I believe that whatever the problem, violence is not the answer.  I think all the coverage of the centenary of the First World War has made this abundantly clear.  What has also been made clear is the deep lessons which are learnt as a result of the terrible happenings of war and indeed of violence.  That glorious picture of the sea of poppies outside the Tower of London at Remembrance time must have touched millions of hearts.  Somehow those beautiful poppies are indeed a symbol of great hope for the future and hope for the new generations growing up in the world now.  Just today there has been the news coverage of one and a half million people of all ages, all religions and all ethnic backgrounds coming to Paris to walk side-by-side in brotherhood for all they believe to be right and good.

I have recently been re-reading White Eagle’s words printed in his book The Light Bringer, in a little section entitled ‘Hope’.  I share these with you today  ‘We give you hope. You are marching forward; the earth plane, the earth planet as a whole, moves forward with its whole being towards becoming itself like a sun. Earth’s humanity has awakened, and slowly, almost imperceptibly, humanity responds and raises itself, even as a child stirs in the womb. The earth is surely moving towards its own birth: it will become spiritualised, so that its very crust, its outer substance, is changed and transcended. In the same way, human life moves towards such a birth. It moves into glory, into freedom. Every experience brings to humanity growth towards spiritual consciousness. Nothing is wasted in life; no experience whatever. However hard the lessons have been for you, and maybe at this moment are, may it comfort and inspire you to be told that they are worthwhile. Humanity makes progress. It does not regress, and every method used to bring about its birth into the spiritual life is necessary. Look out upon the world as it is with tolerance and love and hope. There is no death! Progress, progress, progress—growth, a life-force ever moving onward into the Sun! Hope!’

The power of the Star is quite magical, and White Eagle is calling upon all his friends to be steadfast in positive thought and in the work of sending out the light of the Star at 3,6,9 and 12 every day (or as often as you can remember).  Whatever the media reports, don’t allow negative thoughts to take over your everyday mind.  The power of the Star helps us all to connect to our higher minds which know that there is no power greater than God’s power, and eventually all the tensions will be resolved and humankind will have taken great steps forward in tolerance, forgiveness and true brotherhood.

New Year Resolutions

I think one of the best gifts parents (and grandparents) can give their children is a belief in themselves and that they are ‘good enough’. So many problems arise for us all in later life if we are insecure inside, and somehow feel that we are not living up to a particular standard set before us by parents/teachers/society/or religion.

I have just enjoyed a particularly happy family Christmas. I was able to spend a lot of time with my five and a half year old grandson, Finn. He is a very secure little boy and actually does believe in himself and that he is good at things. I noticed that as he is starting from a belief that ‘he can’, it truly helps him to do it. This inner confidence has helped him leap ahead with his school work. He hasn’t yet learned the lesson of losing though. We had games of Snakes and Ladders when he expected he would always beat his granny, and tears when he didn’t. However he will learn and gain from the losing times (in games and in life, as we all do) but the golden inner core of confidence will carry him through.

In the December issue of Stella Polaris, Finn’s Mum (my daughter Sara) wrote about ‘A Perfect Christmas’ and New Year’s resolutions. She talked about how the making of resolutions (and the often inevitable breaking of them) can add to an existing feeling that somehow we are not as good as we should be, and always have to strive for greater achievement and perfection. To quote: ‘Reeling from the imperfections of Christmas we find there comes a new challenge. New Year. New Year—new start. New Year resolutions. All promoting the notion that we are not quite good enough. That if we just tried that little bit harder, we would be perfect! In many ways, this is wonderful. Like the seasons, our lives are renewed. We can always start afresh, always move on. I may climb the stairs slowly, but I am getting higher all the time! I love that encouraging thought. On the other hand, though, it is possible for us to take it a little too far. The other message that the New Year resolution gives us is that we are in constant need of improvement, that there is something wrong that we need to fix, all the time. White Eagle says: “Of what use is it to stand in a dark room and contemplate the darkness? No progress is made in that way; but if a lighted candle or lamp is brought into that room, it illumines and reveals all”.’

These last few days I have been contemplating all these things, and the feeling that there is something wrong with us which we have to fix, and our New Year resolutions will help us do this! Sara wrote about how resolutions can focus our thoughts on negative aspects of our lives rather than celebrating the positive and quoted White Eagle saying: ‘Perhaps you are unaware that whenever you think negatively, you are actually creating negative conditions for yourselves. To create positive good, you must always think positively…What you think today, you become tomorrow.’

So I have decided I shall do what Sara suggests and choose just one positive thought for my New Year resolution…I won’t tell you what it is, but end with Sara’s closing quote from White Eagle: ‘Be true to your innermost light, and you will create heaven and know complete happiness on earth.’

'What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb.'

These are the well known words in the last verse of the carol ’In the Bleak Midwinter’ by Christina Rossetti. This carol often forms a part of our Christmas Services in the White Eagle Lodge. As I write this we have just had our Christmas celebration in our London Lodge’s temporary home in the heart of London near Trafalgar Square. Many came to join Colum, Anna and myself as we led our Christmas Service and party. It was a poignant time in one way, as we all remembered our last Christmas Service in our home in St. Mary Abbot’s Place, but also it was joyous because we realised how true it is that our Lodge is not a building—it is a community of loving hearts, a ‘grail cup’ of spiritual light being earthed in London. 

Just after we had sung ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ (no organist, no pianist, just Anna and Colum leading all our happy singing) I gave a little spontaneous talk based on the final verse. I talked about how each one of us has a gift of the spirit to bring into our lives, our families, our communities. We are all different—shepherds care for lambs, artists create lovely pictures, musicians beautiful music, writers poems and stories that touch the heart, etc. Christmas is a time to remember and celebrate our unique gifts. The next line of the verse is, ‘If I were a wise man I would do my part’.  We are all much wiser than we think we are. True wisdom is not the same as intellectual knowledge. White Eagle encourages all his students to access the wisdom of the spirit which is within the jewel of the soul. We can do this through quiet prayer and meditation. We can do it through contemplation of the magical symbol of the Star, breathing into our everyday minds the wisdom that we have built into our souls through many, many lifetimes.

Then the final beautiful line is: ‘Yet what I can I give Him—give my heart’. The most important gift of all is the gift of love. Whatever our material circumstances, we can all give this gift to people around us. Even though we may not enjoy all the material trappings of Christmas as we know it in our world today, it is possible to put that in its place, and try to remember the gift of love which we can all give, no matter what our material circumstances. In giving love, we are led inwardly to that simple ‘stable’, or as White Eagle often says, ‘the cave of the heart’, where the light is re-born at Christmas time.

I wish you a very blessed and inspiring Christmas—a time to both give and receive the most valuable present of all—LOVE.

No Room At The Inn

Christmas is fast approaching and it is hard not to feel overwhelmed by the modern day materialistic trappings of this time of festivity. It seems to me as though the traditional Christmas story of the journey to Bethlehem with all its magical symbolism may become forgotten. The giving of gifts is certainly remembered but maybe not a lot else—except in primary schools’ nativity plays.

However, whatever the religious beliefs, and whether the Christian Biblical Christmas story is thought of or not, I know that many people do become really concerned, particularly at this time of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, for the plight of homeless people. There is a feeling in many people’s hearts of wanting to give in some charitable way and this is a wonderful thing. In the UK we have recently experienced the annual ‘Children in Need’ appeal which has had very wide media coverage and raised millions of pounds. The money is put to good use in lots of heart-warming ways.

However, although those of us, like myself, who visit big cities (London for example) are sadly used to seeing homeless adults huddled in doorways and subways, it is still shocking to think of children in our ‘wealthy’ society living in terrible poverty. 

My colleague at New Lands, Jan, emailed me recently about a report issued by the charity for homeless ‘Shelter’.  She wrote: ‘The charity Shelter has just published analysed data related to more than 90,000 children in the UK who are without a permanent home. The charity’s chief executive, Campbell Robb, said the “heart-breaking” figures suggest the equivalent of three children in every school are homeless. The researchers were particularly disturbed to find that in June 2014 some 2,130 families in England alone were living in bed and breakfast hotels, almost double the figure for the same period in 2011when the figure was 1,210. Families in this position told the charity that they often felt unsafe, with children exposed to drug and alcohol abuse, fighting, swearing and racial language. Some said they had to live in one room, share kitchen and bathroom facilities with strangers, eat meals on the bed or on the floor. Others reported depression, panic attacks and their children bed wetting. One mother said, “my son became depressed for the first time in his life and my daughter even started self-harming”. Some told the charity of journeys of up to ninety minutes to school and a few failed to attend lessons altogether.

Jan went on to suggest that we can make a very real contribution in the White Eagle Healing and Brotherhood work. She wrote:‘It seems to me that these families need holding in our hearts, in the protective ray of the Great Healer and the love of the Great Mother. I do believe we have a spiritual responsibility not only as brothers but as caring human beings to be aware of such happenings especially as they are on the increase. The soul of the people of Britain does need to rise to overcome these distressing conditions. Thirty years ago I had the privilege of working with many homeless families. They all loved their children and tried to live decent lives, but were caught in a severe poverty trap. My heart feels the sadness that this situation still continues alongside extreme wealth.’

So from our deep caring we have the opportunity with White Eagle’s beautiful teaching and the inspiration of the Star to not only make material gifts if we can, but also to focus our prayers at this time on the tragedy of homelessness. 

I can't help but think of the Christmas story: that Jesus was born in a simple stable. The innkeeper had compassion in his heart and found a solution for Mary and Joseph’s homelessness. Let us pray that one day the magic of the Star will help manifest a warm and comforting home for every child, and let us work with the light to make it so!