9th Session ~ Breath & Witness

Today's session hosted writers from

Oregon, California, Baltimore, Germany, South Africa, Zimbabwe

and of course England and all over Scotland (including the isles of Easdale & Cumbrae)

We returned to one of the simpler practices mindfulness with the support of breath that is one you might more easily be able to do on your own, even if you can't access the audio link. Adrienne led us in with the poem "Breath" by Peter Adams. You can read it here on a rather wonderful looking blog called Heart Mind.

Our writing process for today, the idea of relaxing into the idea that this magnificent world of ours needs little more than our witnessing ... and that is what we do with our writing. The concept was rather eerily predicted by Aileen Paterson in a Water Story session earlier in the day, so we started by reading her piece:

What Matters

by Aileen Paterson

What matters is the rain on my window, the grey dark sea rippling in to the shore, the streets deserted and the sound of cars swooshing through flooded streets.

What matters is the way the light in the sky still seeps through grey white clouds, even in the middle of a storm.

What matters is the pen in my hand, my words, what matters is to keep writing, to keep having a voice, to speak your truth.

What matters is this silence. This pause. A space for thought. What matters is stopping doing anything.

Be still. Create the space you need. Stop the onslaught of thoughts, your need to achieve. Your being here is enough. Breathe into this new way of being.

Our actual writing prompt your head to the wind was taken from:

Postscript

by Kay Carmichael (her book "It Takes a Lifetime to Become Yourself")

Thought you wrote some poems?
You were wrong.
Powered by pain,
half scream, half song,
they kept your head to the wind,
drove you through the storm.
The poems wrote you.

**********************************

And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

Under the Crescent Moon Blows the Wind

by Catrice Greer

Is it possible  

that in the frequency 

you found in me 

the grounded parts of yourself 

thundering 

whole, uncracked

open circuits, fuse broken

by distorted unsafe currents

back in safe mode

kundalini coiled 

waiting 

you found me awakened 

fluttered, atrial  

beating ohms

feeling for you

in this virtual space

pulses speaking

our ebbs, flows, synergies

blown through, amplified 

crested in our pixilated silences, 

we see better

we get 

closer 

you’ve written your ballad into me

call & response 

could it be 

me, lyrical, etched  

into this time again

entwined 

you sing the song 

my electrified marrow’s 

been waiting to hear

gather itself

And it is written 

on the inside of me

growled in an echo serenading 

deep in the night that sings me to sleep 

pulsating a lullaby

rocking me sound 

We can’t say our goodbyes

No, not this time

We’ve only just said our lifetime of hellos

I need you here

in the crests and troughs 

riding high, pinned low,

blown through 

boundless

in this digital hyperspace

shuttling past hurts

no night or day

no need for time or to keep 

pace with light

we ride this current 

Twin energies synched 

we recognize our hertz

combine altitudes, we go 

counterclockwise

higher 

And I hear the crackle of you 

astral traveling

feel you gust through me in the night 

your electric on my tongue 

I taste you 

and you touch me when you think

I cannot hear 

you thinking me 

there

3-dimensional seduction 

uncoiled 

elevated vibrating 

you find your way inside me 

willingly unbraced

ungrounded

where we

sing our songs 

electronic duets

time travelers 

across oceans 

time, space

channeled 

charged

PROMPT: TAKE YOUR THOUGHTS BEYOND….

by Mo Szulejewska

Take your thoughts beyond… 

But no, don’t do that, what’s the point, where’s the adventure in that?

Take your thoughts…… No. 

Let your thoughts take you. Beyond your limits, your world, your experience.

Embrace the journey, throw yourself into it, allow your thoughts to be both guide and companion.

What wonders might you see? There’s a whispery, grey feather shaped cloud that looks so insubstantial, hovering and moving slowly in the pale blue sky above – what would it be like inside that cloud? What would it feel like, what would it smell and taste like? Would the texture be soft and downy or cold and hard as steel? Would it be warm, heated by the sun’s rays or cold, cooled by the surrounding air? Or would it have its own unique temperature zone generated from its own existence?

And what would you see – looking down at the land below? But would you want to look down? Where’s the excitement in looking at where you have already been and already know?

Look above, look around – lands and shapes and worlds beyond imaginings.

Let your thoughts take you to those undiscovered, unimagined and otherwise inaccessible places where anything and everything is possible.

Let your thoughts take you…..

Ravine

by Hilaire (inspired by RAIN practice)

Down here, it is quiet.

The violent rush is over.

You may lie here

breathing

experiencing 

extremes of cold 

and heat

light and dark

listening to your body

slowly mending itself.

Hurry has vanished.

Ants busy themselves

around your stillness.

You will not climb 

from this place.

When feeling returns

test your steps

on the narrow path.

Keep steady ahead.

Hold the shrinking ravine

deep inside.

Your head to the wind

by Priscilla Webster

My head, receiver of knocks and blows
and sudden assaults from stairs, the
floor, the brother with the huge thumb,
the ground, the rounders bat.
My strong hardy head which recovers
each time and smiles again
with the help of the wind -
that knocks and blows and suddenly assaults
on mountain tops, on the biking road and on
the cliffs over the sea.
That strong hardy wind which cleanses
even as it never fails. My wind smiles.

Prompt: The kindness of memory

anonymous

She stretches as she clambers down from the car seat - waking up after dozing off during the two-hour journey. She turns into the wind so her hair lifts back from her face, and looks down the narrow path, high wall on one side, house on the other. The path is wet and she jumps over the puddles to reach the back of the house and the steps. Every second stair has a flower pot at one side - geraniums, she discovers, when old enough to be interested - and the familiar scent grows as she climbs towards the kitchen door. She is three steps from the top when it swings open to reveal arms outstretched and a beaming smile. Granneeeeeee!

*******************************

Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always:

Kath: Missed the awful loadshedding (power cut) today! Good to be back.

Annan: Hi everyone! I need to sign off in an hour due to work here…hope that’s ok?

Adrienne Hannah: of course annan

Kay: lovely   thankyou Adrienne  kx

Sheila: thank u Adrienne

Larky: My sister’s name has the stress on the first syllable:  ANN-an.

Giovanna: thank you Adrienne, I needed that!

Lapidus Scotland: your head to the wind

Hilaire: Beautiful imagery Anja

Catrice: Beautiful Anja!  <3

Sonja: So lovely! Thank you!

Anja: Thank you!

Catrice: @Susan, Wow!!

Giovanna: “caught out by the tempest” wonderful Susan

Anja: I could feel the storm coming, Susan!

Susan: Thank you

Anja: That ending, Catrice, wow!

Sonja: That was so fabulous!

Hilaire: Yes great ending!

Catrice: Thank you everyone.

Catrice: @Sandra ! Wowza. Powerful!  You have such a powerful voice in your work!

Catrice: Beautiful and peaceful poem.

Sandra: Thank you Catrice!

Anja: And the wind would batter at my burdens- that’s just wonderful!

Catrice: Lovely last line Giovanna.  Paired and sparkling!

Sandra: Beautiful images Giovanna. Thank you!

Anja: Yes! Catrice, you and I are a sucker for those last lines:-)

Giovanna: Pared! Thank you Catrice, I’d so love to be able to read your work

Giovanna: Thank you

Catrice: Thank you, Giovanna. I think Bev put a poem on the blog.  I’m working on publishing. So far, some work in the @afro.com.

Catrice: Oh pared!  Nice.

Giovanna: Brilliant, I will go looking for you

Anja: I loved that, Bev!

Sonja: I love the hot air reference to politicians LOL!

Catrice: Quite smart, Bev.  Love it!

Yvonne: What a beautiful session. Lovely to see you all. Love to all .... Bye from me xxx

Adrienne Hannah: bye Yvonne great that you were here

Britt: Brava, Priscilla!!

Catrice: Lovely !  From head wind to heart wind.

Sonja: I have to go to a meeting, Thank you so much for the invitation and the community! Looking forward to more time with you all! xo

Britt: Bye Sonja!!

Sandra: Me too. Headwind to heartwind is  beautiful image

Giovanna: CAn we organise a virtual Med/Write social at the end of this block? It would be lovely to chat with you all.

Britt: Here here, Giovanna. 

Sandra: Great idea!

Catrice: Great idea!

Sheila: 🍺

Anja: Lovely idea

Hilaire: Another enriching session - thank you Bev & Adrienne & everyone for sharing!

Britt: Your words fed my soul, thank you, everyone. 

Susan: Another great session! Thank you everyone

Sandra: Thank you so much Bev and Adrienne. I love these sessions!

Anja: Thank you to Adrienne and Bev for another lovely session and thank you to everyone for sharing your wonderful words here.

Louise's: a wind blowing session - I’m full of air and light on my feet... thank you all

Catrice: Thank YOU!  I love these sessions!

Kath: thank you, wonderful again

Larky: Thank you for changing the time so we could give this a try!  Thanks for all the shared encouragement.

Michele: So great to see you all. Thank you for all the inspiring writing.  Michele

Sheila: amazing quality of words from everyone no wind at all x

Jo: I missed your input, Kay.

Jo: Thanks, everybody else … humbling

Kay: a wonderful session    thankyou so much everyone   very special     thanks bev & Adrienne for making this happen    kx

Lesley: The mindfulness was wonderfully relaxing, much needed in these difficult times.  And thank you to everyone for sharing your meaty, thoughtful and inspiring words. x

Anja: And search of connections

Michele: I agree, lovely mindful practice, Adrienne.

Catrice: Good point Anja.

Michele: from Michele, Adrienne.

Susan: I need to leave now - thank you all. See you next week

Hilaire: Thanks again - see you all next week x

Catrice: Thank you, this has been quite lovely. Pleased to meet everyone.

Anja: Hoping to join next week, in case I can’t, here are my contact details, annickyerem@gmail.com

Jo: Thanks all

8th Session ~ More Kindness and Gathering

Adrienne opened the Loving Kindness mindfulness practice with a quote by Einstein... it may be a little different to what you heard as she attended to the gender for her reading: 

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe”, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.

The creative writing then explored reconnecting as we come out of lockdown... touching again.

getting together

What moving writing this triggered... how much we have missed contact. We led into the writing with a poem from Bev:

España a Eceni

by Bev Schofield with thanks to David Whyte (see his poem The Journey In)

Tip me up.

Pour me down.

Let the sun kiss goodbye

to my silvery beached heels...

dive, dive into the wooded magic

of the eceni... of Satya's living dark.

Let me burrow

into the black thickets

of thorny spells and secrets.

Let me press up against the black

and pulsing part of it, essential living

heart of it, believe at last what I know well.

For all the fro and to

our arms entwine in that

musky tangle, the wiry knot

bramble beginning from whence

we're begot, the thorny thicket where

blood mixes in sweet juice of good intention,

forgotten fruit.

Cobwebs and crisp frost

become our lily gild. Let go

at last the ill begotten answers

in favour of the one wondrous

question that can rock us to sleep

Eceni (or iceni): Brittonic tribe of eastern Britain during the Iron Age and early Roman era. 

Satya: truthfulness; the practice of integrity

Huge thanks to Hilaire for bringing the Poets for the Planet site to our attention. In their ‘Begin afresh’ campaign they are asking for people to write poems about how we could, post Covid-19, live in a way that respects the planet & mitigates the climate crisis. Let's get these poems submitted writers... we've definitely heard some sound advice from many of you!

Writing from the session:

Filigree Fine Twining

by Sandra Birnie

There’s a filigree fine and twining by the spidery shadows in my memories of you. We can see the clouds of droplets falling and I wish for you. And the dark token passed over is the ticket to my soul.

Together yet apart. I ache. And the apart varies from metres to miles but it lacks the fifth sense. The sense that speaks without the mouth and sees sans eyes and hears the beating of a pulse and tastes a quickening of a heart. Let me touch. Let me stroke. Let me linger on your hand and stroke a thumb. A wrist. Let me lean in and, shoulders touching, share the laughter. Let me ease your pain. Let me kiss your battered knees and wish the hurt away. Oh to touch; to feel; to connect again.

Hear ye, hear ye

by Catrice Greer

Hear ye, hear ye

We are gathered here today 

family, friends, enemies, 

enemies of my enemies

We are here at the black hole mouth 

of this isolated cave

in the grief painted 

infected unknown space 

to bury our dead among us

Those dead things between us

that hold us back

Those things we no longer speak

Those things that twine and whip 'round 

our vocal chords*

that prevent the i’m sorries

i miss you’s, i love you’s *

the pieces that bumble forward 

like an emotionally blind man heady on drink

bumbling home too late 

for whatever he was meant to be there for

knocking over sentimentals, and traditions, 

passed down collectibles shattered 

in pieces launched 

jagged landmine shards  

speckling the ground

Our DNA, our ancestors, 

mothers, fathers, 

grandmothers, grandfathers long gone

our creators, ask us to stand here together 

Ask ourselves

if in this space we will abandon 

Our old skins

Our old breath

and choose to share anew

Can we bury this dead thing between us all

so we can 

stand wrapped in new sinew, tendons, blood 

coursing miracles spiraling through the breath lifting us

in a swirl of meditative purpose

Can we find a new space

a sense of being

We are here in this vortex 

to bury the living dead 

under loam, clay, rocks, 

into the broken soil 

Cover it.

Mark it as resting here 

never to go forward

We mark new paths with a sign 

here as we crawl out 

heel to heel... 6 ft apart 

linked in spirit 

life begins anew

we celebrate together

mourning yesterdays

embracing our multicolored confettied *

I forgive you's littered 

in the air 

celebrating 

our tomorrows

*******************************

Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always:

Anja: Thank you, Adrienne, I just love listening to your voice. Almost fell asleep, because I am so very tired form this whole week.

Lapidus Scotland Bev: getting together (writing prompt)

Giovanna: Beautiful Sandra

Jo: lovely words, Sandra

Giovanna: Completely true Joyce, it’s a huge loss, especially in this country when we were only just warming to the idea!!

Giovanna: Thank you Britt, such powerful images

Catrice: Truly beautiful and honest. <3

Jo: Apologies Britt, our Internet is unstable

Giovanna: So gorgeous Angie, so hopeful

Jo: WE are growing huge beetroots this year, Great analogy

Giovanna: LOVED it Catrice, especially the drunk man analogy

Kay: so much incredible powerful stuff from everyone     thankyou all so much for sharing   kx

Kate: Thank you everyone for sharing your powerful words.  Another fab session Bev and Adrienne, thank you so much. I have a teleconference at 1 so need to go sadly x

Catrice: Lovely Kirsty.  Thank you.  Lovely poem. <3

Kirsty: thank you. 

Eileen: Thank you to everyone for sharing your amazing writings 🙏

Angie: Great poetry coming from all of us today.  Well done guys.  xx

Eileen Gray: Thank you one

Eileen Gray: thank you once again Bev and Adrienne

Kay: such a powerful session once again   thankyou bev & Adrienne   thankyou everyone   kx

Catrice: Yes, Mo.  Well said! <3

Susan: Thank you everyone - sorry to be distracted today. Someone came to the door. 

Joyce: thankyou for sharing your wise and moving words . i have never written before or read .. thank you for supportive comments and the opportunity xxx 

Angie: Can I please have a copy of the Einstein quote?  Thank you again for a wonderful session.  

Catrice: Thank you everyone.  Pleasure to see you all again and hear your work. <3

Michele: than you both the sessions and everyone for the lovely contributions.  Michele

Pat: Thanks everyone; I'm overwhelmed by all the wonderful words. Pat 

Sandra: this group has been a revelation to me. I feel at peCE nd safe here. Thank you all xx

Kate H: Thank you all for sharing so many beautiful and moving words.

Jo: Yes please put your piece on the blog, Britt -  the little green web gremlin broke it up for me.

Mo: i have to leave as I have to be  elsewhere shortly. thanks again for all the words shared, time generously given and the receptive listening offered unconditionally

Isabel: Thank you all. My life has been so enriched by you. And thank you Bev and Adrienne for making it happen and for steering our ship so safely.

Giovanna: Thank you everyone, I’m not sure if I’ll make the next two sessions but wanted to say how much I’ve loved your company and your words. Adrienne and Bev, so many thank yous for starting this. It’s been the best lockdown zoom activity. XX

Catrice: This has been a strong addition to my life.  I am deeply grateful to meet each of you and have the opportunity to share and connect. Thank you so much. The meditation is amazing. This is a perfect program.  See you again.

Louise: so so much thank you to Adrienne and Bev and all of you sharing and /or listening. I always feel so relaxed and touched in time

Angie: Thanks again to everyone and I do hope that if I don't see you at the next to workshops that our paths will cross again.  Take care and keep writing.  xx

Britt: Thank you to everyone. Absolutely singular. This is what it's all about. Best wishes. Hope to see everyone someday somehow. Big love. 

Kirsty: thank you to Bev and Adrienne for facilitating these sessions and to everyone else for sharing this experience with me , have really enjoyed it.

Jo: Thanks, Bev and Adrienne and everybody for giving us all this connectedness … a wonderful privilege to have been part of it.

7th Session ~ Rain and Rilke

Recognise     Allow        Inquire     Nurture

Adrienne opened the RAIN mindfulness practice with the poem The Guest House by Rumi. 

The Guest House

by Jalaluddin Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Some folk asked for more guidance on the RAIN practice so here it is, with thanks to
the Mindfulness Association

Step 1- Recognise what the presenting emotion/difficulty is and name it. This is like opening the door and acknowledging the guest that wants to come in.

Step 2 – Allow. Next, simply allow the emotion/difficulty to be present. This is like welcoming the guest and inviting it to take a seat inside your guesthouse.

Step 3 – Inquire. Then go back to resting your attention on the mindfulness support while knowing that the guest is present within your guesthouse. If you find that the guest persistently calls for your attention, then switch your focus to the presenting emotion/difficulty and make it the focus of your mindfulness practice. But do this in a particular way:

Mindfulness of body - First bring your attention to where the emotion or difficulty is held within your body. Notice what kind of sensations you are experiencing in this part of the body – maybe there is a tightness, contraction, heat, vibration…etc. Notice if you are resisting these sensations. Then notice what happens if you open to them with mindfulness and acceptance.

Mindfulness of feelings - Now bring your attention to the emotions and feelings connected with the experience. Notice what the primary feeling tone is and then observe what layers of feeling make up the experience. You may notice that the presenting emotion is not one feeling, but a constellation of feelings. Try to meet each of these feelings with mindfulness and acceptance.

Mindfulness of thoughts - Next, notice what kind of thoughts, stories or beliefs are spinning around the presenting emotion. Try to take a step back and look at these thoughts. Are they true or one sided? Are they permanent or changing moment by moment?

Mindfulness of underlying processes - Then notice how you are relating to your experience. Are you taking the emotion to be very solid and real? Are you seeing it as permanent? Are you clinging to it and contracting around it? And, are you identifying with it as who you are?

Step 4 – Nurture. This leads to the last stage of RAIN, in which you identify what you need to look after yourself when considering this emotion/difficulty.

Midmar Dam, South Africa - photo by Bobby Keal, submitted by Jo Saunders

going far ahead of the road I have begun

Bev's writing prompt side-stepped the plethora of questionable poetry about rain (and its drops) but went in search of a similar balm to the confusion of this new dimension, more than a new reality we find as we tiptoe out of lockdown. The chosen prompt comes from the following poem:

A Walk

by Rainer Maria Rilke     Translated by Robert Bly

My eyes already touch the sunny hill.
going far ahead of the road I have begun.
So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;
it has inner light, even from a distance-

and changes us, even if we do not reach it,
into something else, which, hardly sensing it,
we already are; a gesture waves us on
answering our own wave...
but what we feel is the wind in our faces.

******************************************

Kath Higgens goes far ahead...

I strain, facing into the ferocious wind,

going far ahead of the road I have begun;

agreeing to move forward, I do not allow myself to turn back.

I recognise this challenge hand-picked for me.

Like enormous hail-stones it fell from the sky this very day.

Light also shines, picking out new shades I did not see before.

How the not-knowing wanted to lock me out of my own guest-house,

but weeping I enter in, to give this stranger a bed.

An uneasy bed-fellow, but relief comes with

the naming of her, this tender, hurting child.

Sitting as a mountain in RAIN

by Joyce Nicholson

Schiehallion, Canisp, Suilven and Buachaille,
weathering sun, snow, smirr, and snell,
watching the flux of flora and fauna,
experiencing restlessness or sloth and torpor.

But, breathing, breathe, the gap, and possibility,
to notice and not respond, react, and  be still, like mountains,
rooted in the heart of the earth.
Traversing guests, they come and go,
some more welcome than others and some surprise,
especially with the longevity of their stay.
I feel you here, poking and pointing in tender valleys,
I carry you on the ridges of my self,
And to try stay deeply rooted in the base of the mountain, me.

Thanks to you all...

Kay: excellent    thankyou Adrienne   so timely   kx

Adrienne: Thanks Kay

Giovanna : Thank you Adrienne, I could listen to your voice all day! Can you remind me what I should be doing with the recognise and allow? thanks

Jo : Agree. Adrienne your voice is a meditation in itself.

Adrienne: Thanks Giovanna. Recognise is simply acknowledging the difficult issue that comes up time and again or is current for you. Allow is making the decision to explore the impact this issue has on you.       Let me know if that is helpful?

Adrienne: Thanks Jo.

Hilaire: Very powerful, Adrienne - thank you

Adrienne: Thanks Hilaire.

Anja: Adrienne, thank you so much for today. I felt utterly safe and nurtured, just what I needed today and right now.

Hilaire: I’m here!

Joyce: we need a daily Adrienne meditation please  x 

Lapidus Scotland Bev : "going far ahead of the road I have begun" (writing prompt)

Jo : That German reading had shivers going through me. Thank you Bev and Anja

Hilaire: Discomfort is my greatest gift - spot on!

Kay: brilliant bev kx

Kay: thankyou beautiful kx

Hilaire: beautiful x

Giovanna : Thank you Anya, that was beautiful

Catrice: Fantastic!!!!

Catrice: Beautiful!!!!

Hilaire: Wonderful!

Catrice: Amazing!  Such a wordsmith!  Beautiful!

Hilaire: Great poem Kay

Catrice: Yes, those blue walls are gorgeous.  Oceanic colors.

Kath : As usual the mindfulness practice took me straight to the heart

Catrice: Oh Britt, How lovely!

Catrice: Awww!, How sweet!

Lesley: Soul food, thank you everyone! xxx

Sand : Thank you both. This session has stilled my restlessness x

Louise : Dear lovely co mindful writers  - thank you so much and to Bev & Adrienne for caring to do this!

Britt: Indeed. This was my thing for me in the middle of my work day. Made the rest sustainable. 

Anja: Thank you to Bev and Adrienne and to all of you reading ad sharing. Such a beautiful safe space here.

Giovanna : Thank you Bev and Adrienne and all for another truly wonderful session. So much humanity here.

Anja: See you next week, hopefully, thank you.

Isabel: These sessions are so powerful! Thank you.

Phyllis: Very therapeutic session today, thanks everyone

Kay: hand on heart for everyone    this sharing is so healing  so powerful   thankyou kx

Catrice: Thank you Adrienne.  Thank you Bev.  You ladies are amazing.  Thank you for creating this space for us. See you again next week!

Terry: Relaxing and stimulating.  brilliant.

Susan : Thank you everyone for another great session. The meetings great in so many ways.

Hilaire: Thank you this was so helpful today

Mo: thank you for admitting me into this enclosure of calm and restfulness which  gets enriched and nourished by  words and connection

Joyce: wonderful connecting sessions as always … a rare opportunity in these strange times xxx thankyou everyone  xx 

Eileen: thank you all for another wonderful session. RAIN so helpful x

6th Session ~ Undercurrent and Yeats' Innisfree

The "undercurrent" theme for mindfulness practice today, sitting beside a river, brought echoes of the ruminative lockdown. Adrienne led into it with David Whyte's The Well of Grief. 

However when it came to the writing there felt to be a need to come ashore... to take hold of the stillness that we've established and bring it with us into the world. Yeats sums it up perfectly, the idea of a taking your refuge with you in your heart:

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

by William Butler Yeats

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;

Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,

I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

The Isle of Innisfree is an uninhabited island within Lough Gill, in County Sligo, Ireland, near which Yeats spent his summers as a child. Our writing prompt for today was:

a small cabin I will build there

Many different cabins were built and shared... thanks for submissions below:

by Priscilla Webster

I've had such a rich life.

I loved thanking  my body,

I loved thanking my mind.

And I loved my whole self.

THEN we went to Innisfree.

My children's father was born to semi-literate Sligo parents,

but in London.They spent whole summers in Sligo, and I recited this poem

with Bev, learned from Joe.

The isle of Innisfree is tiny, tiny, in a big loch.

I will build my cabin on the shore where I can see the

Pisky Isle whenever I choose to.

And I loved thanking William Butler Yeats.

Horseman pass by.

by Kath Higgens

Will I ever arise?

The scream roars soundlessly through my throat,

deep undercurrent of insecurity and fear throbs below me –

I won’t deny, I will allow.

Will I ever find peace?

Overwhelming sensation of being on the edge,

so close to falling -

I won’t deny, I will allow.

It would be so lovely to detect an anchor,

to feel safe upon the choppy seas,

releasing fear to the winds –

I will allow, I won’t deny.

(Untitled) 

by Catrice Greer

A swirl of wind 

a gust of past hurts 

and truths untold

chaos cracks the foundation 

litters the landscape 

chicken-fear half-plucked 

the barbed wire of my perimeter 

long since breached 

the sun comes up in the east 

and it is all out of turn 

I walk to the banks 

the back way 

backward 

retracing my steps 

through bramble and brush 

to the small stream trickling through

reminds me of childhood

a freedom refreshed 

and standing there 

in the flora and fauna 

safe and untouched I find myself 

a smooth pebble meant for skipping 

across lakes and sturdy enough to 

ride seamlessly un-dammed 

through tributaries, outlets,

Oceans

shuttling back to my thoughts 

a space nestled near me 

I’d barely noticed

perfect for building on flat land 

a perfect view 

of where I had once traveled 

away from the bramble 

that is still in view 

I settle down and make my peace

in this quiet space 

where deer pass by 

rabbits play 

and animals come to lap 

the streamed waters 

refreshed 

we live together harmonious 

with the songs of frogs 

crickets, the breezes, and birds

I can make my peace on this piece of dry land

a small cabin I will build there

not to forget it all but to remember

and still in full view 

my flowers will grow 

flourishing 

we will find ourselves 

and just for fun

by Louise Terry

I’ve already built my wee hoosie

on the rocky seashore

of my wee island!

I dreamed it. And I did it.

Ok, so I’m lying

but I’m still dreaming...

A small cabin I will build there …

by Joyce Nicholson

 

Looking west from the westerly fingered shores of Assynt,

Sitting, out, in the infinite blue sky,

On these most ancient of rocks between weathered white sand,

among  vast, deep, bogs of soft sleeping peat,

Where lynx, polar bear and reindeer once rambled in Inchnadamph.

Below the shadow of Suilven, rising like a primordial goddess,

She reminds me of the meaninglessness of time and the impermanence of all things.

Sitting, grounded, watching the everchanging weather of thoughts, feelings and embodied responding,

With the whale fins and the eagles wings, the vajras and rupas,

Trying to let go, trying not to grasp at the magnificence of this place. 

Thanks to you all...

Kate L: Another excellent session, I love hearing everyone's words.  Sadly I have to go as I have a meeting at one. Lovely to see you all 

 Kate H: Sorry - need to go, neighbour just coming home from hosp. Great session - as ever. xxx

Giovanna : Another beautifully rich session, thank you so much to everyone, especially Adrienne and Bev for leading us so gently.

Louise : so wonderful again thank you both and everyone xx

Phyllis: Thank you for words and Adrienne for your voice

Caroline: another amazing session - thank you everyone x

Joyce: thank you - this is connecting different parts of me ! thanks everyone xxxx

Kay: another wonderful session   a perfect balance    I do hope that this can go on and on and on forever

Sandra B: Thank you both very much. And thank you for reminding me to thank me and my body for turning up.

Isabel: Aaaaah! ... and breathe ... and mind freed. Thank you.

Kath: I feel such a sense of community with this group and am so grateful for this at this time. Thanks to Adrienne and Bev for creating this.

Mo: thanks to everyone for their words and for their listening.

Hilaire: Thanks everyone. Wonderful session - great to hear how other people responded to the writing prompt. Really value the time without distractions.

Britt: This is the sort of thing that should be prescribed and funded for the general community. It was soulful and drew us into each others' lives. It delivers peace. Long live Writing & Mindfulness sessions. I'm going to try to re-arrange my life to attend the last two sessions. Thank you so much, Bev, for including me and extending the invitation. x