January February

From darkness, let’s reach for light, together – June Warulu

In this post: Chaplaincy, Isolation overwhelm meditation/Meditation with song for the Beyond Now Festival/ HS2 Protest/Tree Sharing/Sharing on Death/ 2x Interviews, 1 on working with people seeking Asylum, and 2 a sharing on mistakes of being a White Man trying to help as part of a panel and the wisdom of many voices.

It’s evening early March and after a day in the warmth of the Spring sunshine, learning about pruning fruit trees and doing some reading for my forthcoming Chaplaincy course. I’ve started signing off some of my emails Chaplain (in training), so the aspiration grows in me I imagine the day maybe next year where I’ll put Singer.songwriter Chaplain on my page here and let life take over the idea into a reality, I’m sure of much learning, mistakes, humiliation*, growth and more songs and poems, and maybe some other writings. *I pray for one good humiliation a day, it’s how I grow up (Franciscan, Richard Rohr).

In service to the idea of what the responsibility of Chaplaincy might look like, I’ve decided to record more contemplative meditations and relaxations for wellbeing – in this post, one on the overwhelm of Isolation ‘Window Meditation’. If we are able to get to a window and look you can do this one. A mix of emotional awareness and body/earth science as a way into presence – love to know if you try it and how it was – you can click on the picture

Mental health issues and the affects of lockdown are said to be with us for years to come, something I didn’t want to believe and at the same time something that is an opportunity I see for collective understanding and care the like that we have never seen before. A friend of mine has been raising the mental health flag of love and acceptance for children and had and me 2 friends (Martha and Raph) from London based Mindful Music Charity along to sing and do a relaxations at the Now and Beyond Festival. The festival is still up at the link with other contributions including some of the CBBC presenters and the athlete Kelly Holmes. If you like more of this in your school/ workplace/life 🙂 contact both charities who have wonderful resources that are there to be shared, And in a unexpected turn of events I had a few seconds on Channel 4 News – though that’s not really why I want to share this – the story about mental heath in children is so important to hear I feel.

2 climate related sharings now, one about the HS2 protest and an invitation from a friend to spend a little time with a tree of your choice

if you are not aware the HS2 is a high speed railway that has been in the planning since 2009 now said to be completed by 2033. It has become controversial for many reasons – with many saying how expensive and ecologically damaging it was before the agreement by government of ‘Climate Emergency’ and Covid’s impact on the economy. What has been called ‘the world’s most expensive railway’ is now underway to protest.

You may have followed the news and have seen that protesters have dug tunnels under the gardens outside the station to bring attention to the issue. I’m always impressed peaceful protest and feel the passion of these individuals to speak out their message, reminding us not to question whether such projects as HS2 are necessary but also that protest is still possible. I see it as spiritual expression – it can’t be that nice in tunnels in the rain – I want to remember they must feel so strongly about this.

I also spoke to a couple of friends of the protestors today and I’ll include. I imagined that when our parliament had agreed that we are in a “Climate Emergency” change would surely follow.

Where else could these resources be allocated for our future? I searched ‘HS2 for and against’ to look up the debate

Martha Wright, before mentioned Mindful Music visionary, clarinet player on my forth coming ep and all round arts activist has a project of nature connection at the moment inviting us to take time with a tree – the experiences will be collected and shared somewhere – click the picture.

With sharings in mind I invite you to share too – I asked out for thoughts on death this month alongside song So Around , about my Grandmother and my ongoing relationship with her which is very real to me 🙂 I’d love to hear from you if you have thoughts

you’ll find a few sharings here

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A post shared by joe (@joeholtaway)

And 2 other sharings this time from within the Plum Village Community, a spiritual tradition I am so fond of. I gave an interview for their website recently about my work with people seeking asylum and later in the month was on a panel talking about the notion of the term reverence for life. which I decided to do through mistake stories, times where I had an idea of how to be in situations and life showed me otherwise.