Tag Archives: hope

When Netanyahu attacked Iran

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When Netanyahu attacked Iran, I believe he knew this action would be the beginnings of a violent retaliatory exchange, potentially leading to war. I believe that Netanyahu wants a war with Iran. He wants America and the West to support such a war. I believe that Netanyahu’s  mind – and the minds of some of the other leaders in the world – are given over to an ancient mind virus that knows only violence, manipulation, murder and enmity. Netanyahu’s conscience seems to be completely identified with this deadly mind pathogen. And this virus is not just human avarice. It is at work within collective human consciousness to varying degrees, but is especially active within geopolitical systems.
 
This action against Iran by Netanyahu could destabilise the Middle East even further and will draw other nations into the conflict, potentially leading to a dangerous international situation. This danger could include the risk of a Third World War. For people with emotional intelligence and deep humanity, this is obvious. Nonetheless it is not obvious to many others in the world, especially powerful and wealthy influencers who are political actors.
 
For those of us who are alive to our humanity and our deepest spiritual nature, this conflict is like watching something horrible unfold before our eyes over which we have no immediate power to prevent.
 
There is something deeply malignant at work in the global systems of power, which is beyond broken human nature. This malignant phenomenon – the mind pathogen – wants humanity to be in a state of conflict and separation. It feeds on the energy of fear and hatred. This malignant energy has manifested itself more vehemently, historically, in systems of control such as Stalinism, various forms of nationalism, the rise of the tyranny of religious fundamentalists (like ISIS and end times Christian nationalism) and is influencing the brutality of the State of Israel against the Palestinians (which has lasted 76 years, but which has intensified). The murderous actions of Hamas on the 7th
October 2023 were a manifestation of this psychospiritual mind pathogen, too,
 
I humbly believe that each one of us needs to understand how the pathogen operates in our own consciousness, becoming familiar with how it directs our thoughts, feelings and emotions. In loosening the power of the mind virus over our own mind, we disarm the mind virus’ influence over the world. As Bohm suggested, we each possess the entire universe within ourselves., Understanding the toxic effects of the mind pathogen and healing it each day in ourselves, in each moment in our lives, destabilises its power in the world. This makes us more powerful than we can imagine.
 
 
 

Three Spiritual Leaders & St Michael The Archangel

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The visionary, polymath and mystic Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925), the founder of the esoteric discipline of Anthroposophy; Pope Leo XIII (1810 – 1903) a champion of the rights of workers and social justice, and the current Pope, Leo XIV, all have two significant synchronous connections: St Michael the Archangel and social justice for the ordinary citizens of the world.
 
Steiner who was a contemporary of Leo XIII described the concept of an age of St Michael encompassing the 20th and 21st centuries. According to Steiner, Michael was crucial for the spiritual evolution of humanity, protecting us from the toxicity of parasitic demonic forces, (especially relating to the rise of the antichrist, Ahriman in the 21st century). Steiner referred the defeat of satanic powers under the leadership of St Michael, and his ascent as cosmic ruler from the defeat of the “dragon” and the spirits of darkness, as the beginning of the Michaelanic age. Steiner was also a proponent of social justice for workers rights. According to Wikipedia:
 
“Steiner was concerned that businesses should not be able to buy favourable laws and regulations, and that governments should regulate the economy and protections for workers impartially and not be corrupted by participating in business”.
 
In 1884 Pope Leo XIII had a mystical experience in which he witnessed Satan boasting to God that he would destroy the Church in a hundred years which led to Leo formulating the exorcism prayer to St Michael which was to be recited at the end of every low Mass. The prayer was recited to ask for Michael’s help in the spiritual battle against the forces of evil.
 
Pope Leo was a champion of the rights of workers and trade unions, especially outlined in his social justice encyclical, Rerum novarum.
 
Pope Leo XIV was elected to the papacy on the 8th May 2025, which is the feast of the apparition of St Michael the Archangel on Mount Gargano, in Apulia in 492. Pope Leo XIV, like his predecessor Pope Francis (and Pope Leo XIII) is a champion of social justice and humanitarian endeavour in relation to the poor and disenfranchised of society. In fact he clashed with the vice president of the United States, JD Vance about the definition of what it means to be a Christian: Vance posited that Christian love begins at the individual level and then broadens out from there. Cardinal Prevost (Pope Leo XIV) corrected his definition stating that Christian love is collective in its essence, especially encompassing the most vulnerable.
 
We know from the work of psychiatrist, mystic and spiritual teacher, Carl Jung, that synchronicity is an important phenomenon through which divine wisdom speaks to humanity, at both the individual and macro levels. There is a theme between these three figures, Rudolph Steiner and the two Pope Leo’s: the Archangel St Michael in the cosmic struggle with evil and the protection of ordinary people from the greed and selfishness of corporate greed and corruption. Interestingly, Ryan Selkis, a former crypto CEO and MAGA activist, called Robert Prevost a “Woke Marxist”.
 
I think we can see the deep connections between these three spiritual figures, Rudolph Steiner, Pope Leo XIII and Pope Leo XIV. They all appear to be connected to the age of St Michael the Archangel as described by Steiner and they all highlight the importance of social justice for the wellbeing of humanity. The importance of the Archangel Michael in our current age, and Pope Leo XIV mission in today’s world, are inextricably connected. The stand against evil isn’t only esoteric but political too. Pope Leo XIV mission will likely include the importance of standing against billionaire corporate greed and grasping (as did Pope Francis before him) which is a parasitic disease leaching from the soul of humanity. This papacy likely includes a penultimate confrontation with evil in our time, especially the Ahrimanic evil which will seek to utilise technology to crush the spirit of humanity. Many of the billionaire elites are engaged in financially leaching from the masses and destroying the spiritual impulse of humanity through oppression. The misuse of technology will be key in this endeavour. Some elites are engaged in unimaginable evil in order to maintain their power and wealth. The demonic is parasitic in nature. Parasitic oppression is core to the evil of our time. St Michael, pray for Pope Leo. Protect all your children who claim your defense against the powers and principalities of the world.

The Symbolic Journey of St Teresa’s Interior Castle

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The 15th century mystic, Teresa of Avila, loved the usage of archetypal symbolism and metaphor in her writings to describe her understanding about the nature of the divine, the state of heaven, the substance of the soul and the stages of the spiritual life. The Interior Castle was one of her finest teachings on the nature of the soul and prayer and is beautifully written in symbolic language. Of this interior castle, Teresa wrote:
 
I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions.1
 
She described the crystalline image of the soul as consisting of seven domains or mansions which define developmental points of growth for the soul in the process of spiritual evolution. This evolution is the souls’ movement towards deeper union with God. The soul which has reached the first mansion is in the earliest developmental stages of the spiritual life.
 
It is important to note that developmental stages are a helpful metaphor for broadly describing something of our reaching particular milestones or goals in the psychological or spiritual life. However, the experience of deeper union with the Divine is not a linear process. Human beings often learn and grow through patterns of circularity rather than in a linear manner. People often repeat and revisit life-lessons and experiences several times over before fully integrating them into the psyche.
 
The metaphorical journey into God doesn’t presuppose that there is an absence of God within the human soul which we somehow correct by the efforts of the ego, which is incapable of undertaking such an endeavour. As Julian of Norwich reminds us, the soul was created out of the substance of God, bearing within itself the divine image. We are, as Thomas Merton said, shining more brightly than the Sun. We are inseparable from our Source, though we might experience ourselves as separate. As St Catherine of Sienna said:
 
The soul is in God and God in the soul.
 
Although the Interior Castle is Teresa’s narrative of the soul’s journey of growth and maturation in God – even with the divine journeying with the soul into the purifying experience of painful darkness – it is a love story between us and divinity. God pursues the soul and gifts it with divine love; with an experience of oneness and unity with God. It is not our effort but God’s graciousness -with a little willingness and perseverance from us- that effects the complete experience of union.
 
In the Teresian language of the Interior Castle, the First Mansion is considered to be the furthest dwelling place away from the seventh dwelling. According to Teresa, the soul experiences a sense of full unification with the divine in the seventh mansion. Each mansion between the first and the seventh describe something of our progressive growth into the love and mystery of the divine.
 
In this first mansion Teresa considers the soul as still dwelling very much in the superficial realm of life, overly concerned with the ephemeral though possessing some desire to find a way forward in the spiritual life. Teresa recognises that through grace the person who has entered the first mansion has the desire for the spiritual life but they are still neophytes and they are easily susceptible to self-doubt and fear. She refers to these influences as being like reptiles that bite at the resilience of the soul. For Teresa, the importance of the cultivation of the spiritual life helps us to build spiritual resilience in the first mansion in order to progress forward into deeper union with the indwelling divine presence. Patience, dedication and self-compassion are important qualities to cultivate in building our resolve to make this inner journey, knowing that this journey is our birth right to undertake. And we need to remember that we are creatures of circularity, insofar as we move around and between these metaphorical mansions (backwards and forwards too) reinforcing our learning, and developing familiarity with our mind and emotions and how they operate.
 
Each movement through the mansions would indicate an increasing level of spiritual consciousness in which the influences of the individual ego and the challenges of life-circumstances decrease in strength against our endeavours, resulting in a gradual increase in the souls’ resilience and experience of divine consciousness.
 
1 Teresa of Avila. Interior Castle. Ed. and Trans. E. Allison Peers. New York: Dover Publication, 2007.
2 Catherine, of Siena, Saint, 1347-1380. (1907). The dialogue of the seraphic virgin, Catherine of Siena : dictated by her, while in a state of ecstasy, to her secretaries, and completed in the year of our Lord 1370; together with an account of her death by an eye-witness. London :K. Paul, Trench, Trübner,

The Gift of Mindfulness for You

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Mindfulness is a form of meditative practice which focuses upon our mind and attention. In Mindfulness we notice bodily experiences, such as our breathing, sensation, and our energy. We notice external things such as sounds near to us, smells, taste and touch. Mindfulness draws upon a knowledge base of cognitive behavioural psychology, neuroscience, and Buddhist philosophy and psychology

Mindfulness draws our attention to the fluctuating nature of the mind with its many thoughts, ideas and images that flit across our awareness. In mindfulness we notice thoughts, perceptions, feelings, reactions and emotions but we do not identify with them as the self, but recognise them just for what they are; hectic intrapsychic activity. The hopeful fruits of mindfulness for our lives through our focus on the here and now, in the present moment, is to help us to be more aware generally in our lives of the beautiful things we might miss in the morass of our many thoughts, e.g., the beauty of a sunset or sunrise; the scents of nature, or the delicious taste of something we are eating or drinking. The busyness of our mind and its many thoughts and distractions can draw us away from joy and peacefulness, right here and right now.

Busy and habitual thinking can make us lose contact with our bodily sensations. which are an important anchoring in life in the present moment. Through noticing our senses such as vision, hearing, olfactory senses, taste and touch, we can enjoy our senses more profoundly.

There are nine attitudes of mindfulness based upon Jon Kabat Zinn’s original 7 attitudes of mindfulness: beginners mind; non-judgement; trust; letting go; non-striving; acceptance; patience; gratitude and generosity.

Beginner’s mind – witnessing the present moment with the mind and eyes of a beginner. In terms of mindfulness this might be recognizing the flow of thoughts that pass through our mind, the judgements that arise within us or our conditioned reactions, in relation to particular phenomena. Through noticing these mental and somatic reactions, we can choose not to give them central stage in formulating our perspective on our experience. The beginners mind might potentially make room for something new that might arise from our creativity; allowing ourselves to be surprised by this innate creativity. For example, if I bring a beginner’s mind to my role in my job, I might see ways of developing the role emerging with a fresh and creative perspective rather than using a mind conditioned by past, experiences and narratives which might limit my vision. This happened recently in some interfaith work I undertook as a chaplain in the hospice where I work. I outreached to the local Islamic community the week during the UK riots (August 2024) and came to this meeting and encounter with empty hands and an open heart, to listen, to try to understand and to allow this listening to enrich the conversation.

Non-judgement – in terms of mindfulness this is attempting to cultivate a mind that can look at a phenomenon or phenomena without being overly influenced by our mental or social conditioning. A mind which is non possessive, not driven by one interpretation or set of beliefs, nor driven by a desired outcome, and is willing to tolerate uncertainty, and be open to multiple possibilities, can approach life in creative ways and from a more compassionate position.

 Trust – In terms of mindfulness let’s remember, that when we sit in a chair, we don’t anticipate that the chair will collapse under us; when we walk on the pavement we trust that the ground under our feet will not suddenly give way and cause us to fall into a chasm. We trust that our heart will beat and our lungs will breathe. The quality of trust in terms of mindfulness practice is about cultivating a mindful sense of our ability to trust ourselves and life in a way that is similar to how we trust the chair or the ground. This trust is not done naively (e.g., if we noticed the chair had large cracks in the legs we wouldn’t sit down on it). It is not undertaken by refusing to listen to our natural fight, flight or freeze evolutionary capacities for detecting risk or danger and responding to it (e.g., not walking in proximity to an angry and vicious dog). Trust, however is attempted by witnessing, but not identifying with our conditioned memories, thoughts, feelings and responses from the past to our experience of witnessing. For example, if you have been let down in previous romantic relationships, this does not mean you can’t ever trust romantic relationships, but through mindfulness you can learn to trust the wisdom within you to help you to discern what can help you with trusting people with wisdom rather than falling prey to strategies of control. Trust is about becoming more in-tune with our creativity and intuition, which could be described as our hearts ability to wisely guide our mind through discernment.

Letting-go –  Mindfulness can help us to detach from ego driven over management of aspects of our lives (e.g., relationships, work, health, etc.,) in which we might have come to believe requires our absolute and dedicated control. This desire to control can often arise from previous adverse experiences in our lives such as a betrayal, abuse, a career loss, a divorce, a bereavement, and many other life events. The desire to control is understandable and definitely calls for mindful compassion; but controlling strategies are not something we want to determine our decisions or behaviour, now.

Non-striving: In terms of mindfulness, non-striving describes how we can become aware of our capacity to do life in terms of achieving, acquiring, attaining, succeeding, etc., Non striving invites us into the ground of being rather than doing (striving). Mindful non striving can create space for making room for deeper wisdom to arise by our slowing down and stopping. This can enhance our doing because it can potentially release our creativity, wisdom and deeper knowledge. I have heard it said that geniuses very often had their eureka moments, not in the laboratory but whilst in the shower or enjoying a cup of tea.

Acceptance – with respect to the mindfulness of acceptance this refers to a shift in perception from being overwhelmed by our resistance to what is happening in our lives, and gently allowing ourselves to accept that an issue for what it is, right now. Acceptance is not passive relinquishment of responsibility or action. If I needed to prepare myself for demanding and difficult experiences, a position of acceptance could help me to allow my mind to calm, and for my resilience, stamina and coping skills to come online.  

Patience – in terms of mindfulness, acceptance and non-striving are strongly linked to patience. Cultivating mindful patience can consist of accepting the reality of something in a given moment (e.g., a health, social or financial problem) and putting a pause on doing something immediately, and just allowing the issue to be for a while. Sometimes, (not always) remaining calm when events may seem to be in flux, and delaying wanting to react or act (i.e., immediately engaging with problem solving) can help me to be less stressed and overwhelmed (which might undermine my effectiveness needed with managing a phenomenon) possibly allowing more helpful perspectives to arise from wisdom. 

Gratitude – in terms of mindfulness, whatever problems we face in life, if the mind with which we are going to face these problems is dominated with thoughts of complaining and dissatisfaction, this will impact on our experience of these problems. These negative responses can ruin our potential for peacefulness and happiness. Gratitude in comparison is a mind-set that looks upon our lives in terms of what is good, helpful and fulfilling in our lives, which cultivates peace and balance. The mind when honed upon what is wrong, tends to exclude from our mind what is good and beautiful.  There is psychological and neuroscientific research into the benefits of cultivating gratitude for our lives which suggests many therapeutic benefits from cultivating gratitude such as peace of mind, greater stress reduction, increasing self-esteem, increased personal happiness, positive mind states and medical benefits such as lower blood pressure, better sleep, stronger immune system, etc. The research suggests positive neuroplasticity in terms of our brain wiring for happiness.

Generosity – in terms of mindfulness, generosity and compassion belong together in the same domain. Cultivating a generous, giving heart towards others, can make us experience ourselves in a positive and meaningful way. The golden rule from most religions and philosophies of life, is do unto to others as you would want to be done to you. What we do to others affect how we perceive ourselves. Our actions of generosity help define our attitudes towards ourselves and others. Grasping and over-attachment to impermanent things that will disintegrate are strongly linked to craving. Grasping can only be satisfied by the constancy of getting things and holding on to them. Generosity in contrast, is a quality of being that is lasting and takes joy in the happiness and fulfilment of others.

Embodiment of mindfulness is the goal of practice.

Embodiment is the result of embedding mindfulness practice into the very fabric of our lived existence and experience. Repetition of mindfulness practice is key. It must permeate every aspect of our lives, with our becoming a more mindful person. It is not the supplanting the person I am with a different identity. It is our leaning close to our deepest true self underpinned with the qualities of patience, compassion, cooperation and acceptance. Being mindful with humility, is what enables us to become authentic mindful practitioners, because we are in contact with who we truly are at the deepest level of our being. Professor Paul Gilbert identifies these deep qualities of being as emerging from our evolutionary development for survival which has helped humanity to survive as a species, especially through cultivating capacities for caring, attachment, cooperation, and extending warmth and protection to the vulnerable, especially children. This deep reservoir of our consciousness is capable of compassion, service, creativity, innovation and many other positive qualities of being. Not perfect, but imperfectly perfect.

The psychological wisdom drawn upon from ancient Buddhism to inform mindfulness practice are multi-form: (1) recognising the nature of suffering and the causes of suffering; (2) recognising there is a way to end suffering and the path that leads to the end of suffering; (3) the importance of mindful detachment; acceptance of the reality of the present moment; observing the nature of the mind and emotions and  understanding how the mind can be complex and tricky, etc. (4) practices such as loving kindness meditation and the cultivation of warm heartedness. All of these inform the nine attitudes of mindfulness: non-judging, patience, the beginner’s mind, trust, non-striving, acceptance, gratitude, generosity, and letting go.

Compassion And Self Compassion

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Originally written for the Lynn News, Thought for the Day
 
When we think of the word compassion, we associate it with the attribute of kindness. Compassion does consist of kindness. However, it also consists of far more. Professor Paul Gilbert (OBE) is a renown clinical psychologist who has made significant contributions to the field of compassionate mental health care. He speaks of compassion as being an antidote to the effects of chronic self-criticism and toxic shame. He describes compassion as a sensitivity to suffering both in ourselves and others and a commitment to alleviating and preventing our own or others suffering. It is also composed of qualities such as wisdom, courage, strength, non-judgement, warmth, tender heartedness, and caring.
 
Often we associate compassion with something we benevolently offer to others. However, according to Gilbert’s definition, compassion is something we offer to ourselves, too. He says that it can help cultivate peace of mind and promote good mental health.
Compassion for self does not fit well within our ingrained western habit of self-criticism. Our societies are often driven by the importance of productivity, success and consumption. If we believe that we are not perceived by others to be hard working, making a contribution, achieving, or keeping the economy going, then we can feel as though we are valuable only according to what we do, rather than for who we are. Doing becomes more important than being. Failing an exam, not getting the job, not having a relationship or not progressing in a career, can evolve into a harsh, internal, shame based self-dialogue which promotes personal suffering.
 
We often learn to be harshly self-critical early in life, and usually inadvertently, through well-intentioned parents, teachers, friends, relatives and others. We can learn it from the harshness of stories told in the media and on social media. Sadly, religion has at times encouraged harsh and relentless self-criticism too, with an overemphasis on sin and badness rather than human goodness. Our inner-critic often jabs us with words such as not good enough, could do better, you’ve failed, and so forth.
 
Love and compassion for ourselves is essential to good mental health and emotional flourishing. If we can learn to dialogue with ourselves and others, without attack, blame and besmirching, we heal both ourselves and others. Learning to forgive ourselves for mistakes is fundamental to being self-compassionate. To forgive is to forgo a harsh perception of ourselves or others, and not to magnify it. To forgive ourselves acknowledges our mistakes and wants us to do better, and importantly asks, what have you learned from this? In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus tells his disciples that they are light and salt for the world. Sometimes it can be difficult to recognise our inherent light and beauty in the midst of so much internal and external harshness. But recognising light in ourselves through self-compassion can be a key to transformation.