Going round in circles
and places of lumpy meetings
Substack recently added a gizmo which means you can hear me read this Sunday Letter. How amazing is it that I actually get to talk to you every week, what a wonderful world it truly is.
Hello Dear Friend,
Welcome to another Sunday Letter, I hope you have had a wonderful, joyful week. I love this time of year, the crops are growing the flowers are letting us see their splendour and while we melt in the shade the bees and butterflies are busy collecting nectar, flitting amongst the blooms. My garden this year seems to be a riot of pinks and greens, I obviously needed to have more pink in my life this summer.
Hmm - off to see what the significance of pink is…
Well, having done a quick internet search, it seems that pink signifies kindness and understanding and that it also embodies all that is good in the world. That just makes me smile even more when looking at the flowers.
Going Round in Circles
Circles seemed to be important this week, I kept seeing them everywhere. From Kathryn Kromolias’ Summer With Seneca to images online. For this week’s Summer with Seneca task we were asked to consider Letter 12, where Seneca says the following to Lucilius:
Our span of life is divided into parts; it consists of large circles enclosing smaller.
One circle embraces and bounds the rest; it reaches from birth to the last day of existence.
The next circle limits the period of our young manhood.
The third confines all of childhood in its circumference.
Again, there is, in a class by itself, the year; it contains within itself all the divisions of time by the multiplication of which we get the total of life.
The month is bounded by a narrower ring.
The smallest circle of all is the day; but even a day has its beginning and its ending, its sunrise and its sunset.
It made me ponder about how we ring-fence time, not only during our day but also during our lifetime. A conversation last week also brought to the fore the whole pre and post-pandemic aspect of our lives now. We speak of things as having happened pre-pandemic, much as people must have spoken about the great wars. As you go about your life this week, consider how circles and cycles define your days and life.
Circles going round and round, the circular nature of life as opportunities which appear daring us to accept and challenges that keep appearing, asking us to resolve them and move on.
What patterns can you see in your own life?
Maybe take a pen and notebook and think over your life, look for them, and write them down. What are they asking you to do and what would the consequences be if you followed the circular path?
On Being Podcast
As the On Being podcast is taking a summer pause, I started listening to older episodes. On Friday I listened to an episode which first aired in March 2017 with Pádraig Ó Tuama. this episode is full of nuggets of wisdom and knowledge and at one point they were talking about the community of Correymeela, which was founded in Northern Ireland in 1965 to bring people of different faiths and viewpoints together.
When Corrymeela began in ’65, somebody who didn’t have a great understanding of old Irish etymology had said: Oh, “Corrymeela” means “hill of harmony.” And people were like, How lovely; amazing; “hill of harmony” — isn’t that delightful? And about 10 years later, somebody who actually knew what they were talking about when it came to old Irish etymology said: Well, it’s kind of like “place of lumpy crossings.”
Pádraig Ó Tuama, Quoted from On Being podcast, episode aired March 2 2017
I love this description of lumpy crossings.
It can be taken in so many different ways. Lumpy physically, in that you feel the differences and disconnections within your very being. Lumpy verbally, so that you feel as if you are walking on eggshells around a topic or person. But lumps can be smoothed, and that gives me hope. Hope that no matter our differences, we can find common ground to start a conversation. You don’t have to agree with someone for the dialogue to go well, accepting and respecting anothers view can be a perfect place to start.
So when you feel you are having a lumpy meeting or conversation, bear in mind that there is more that unites us than divides us in this world of ours.
Another thing that struck me from this episode was a conversation around the narrative of fear, mostly from news outlets. I’m sure you know what I mean, when you watch or listen to the news, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the pain, grief and intolerance in the world. The news stories, seem to add more layers of ‘other’ into our lives and heighten the ‘fear of others’ we may be already feeling.
Please, do not succumb to these fears.
Fear of the unknown - is just that - we do not know about a person or situation, so become scared, our inner child wants us to be safe. Find out some more information, read around the subject, and it may become less scary.
Fear of strangers - again, they are just other human beings who we do not know. YET. This is easily remedied, say hello, smile, and acknowledge their existence with love and kindness, as I have said many times before you never know what others are going through.
Fear of saying your truth - granted this one could be tricky, depending on your situation, but stay true to your inner core. The inner voice which keeps you balanced, if you listen to it, and your guides and angels, this voice will give you the strength to overcome much.
I want to finish this letter to you with a circle prayer. Circle prayers have a long history, mostly in the Celtic church, it was and is a way to surround yourself with protection and blessings.
To perform the Circle prayer you stand*, pointing your right index finger at the ground and turn in a clockwise circle, saying the following at certain positions.
During the prayer, I will use the word Lord, please feel free to change this out for a term you feel comfortable with if you like.
*If you are unable to stand and turn in a circle you can remain seated and just picture the clockface in your mind’s eye.
At the 12 o’clock position say - Circle me, Lord, Keep protection near, And danger afar.
At the 3 o’clock position say - Circle me, Lord, Keep Light near, and darkness afar.
At the 6 o’clock position say - Circle me, Lord, Keep peace within, keep evil out.
At the 9 o’clock position say - Circle me, Lord, Keep hope within, Keep doubt without.
Back at the 12 o’clock position, you finish the prayer by saying -
May you be a bright flame before me,
May you be a guiding star above me,
May you be a smooth path below me,
And a loving guide behind me,
Today, tonight and forever.
As you say the prayer, imagine the circle you drew with your finger as a circle of protection, keeping you safe wherever you go.
Things catching my eye this week:
The wonderful Paul Sockett wrote this lovely piece called Walking Among Giants, about finding and accepting the space we take up in the world, inspired by his recent visit to the giant redwoods.
Until next time, as ever, may your angels and guides watch over you and protect you until we meet again. Please be careful if you are in the areas affected by this warm weather, look after yourselves, and I will be in touch again next week.
Love and Light,
Tracy
Links:
Seneca’s Moral Letters to Lucilius - Letter 12
Corrymeela Centre, Ballycastle
Paul Sockett - Walking Among Giants
Anything in bold and underlined is a link to the relevant article or web page. None are affiliate links, just things I hope to benefit you, or people whom I admire and have worked with in the past.
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Until next week.
Love the lumpy meeting place!
Wonderful, Tracy ⭕️ and lovely to hear your voice. I just did the circle prayer ⭕️ thank you for this 🙏