Posts Tagged "inspiration"

The Goddess Tree

the goddess tree poem by Christine Miller

The Goddess Tree

 

A poem taken from ‘Secret Garden of the Soul’ and inspired by a beautiful silver birch tree in a friend’s  garden in  Dorset, where I sometimes go to write.

The tree looks remarkably like a woman standing with her arms outstretched, blessing and protecting and giving  beauty, nourishment and joy to the garden and those in it. The sort of place you can sit and reflect and receive great inspiration and nurturing.

This is one of those very ‘blessed’ pieces of writing that just poured forth, asking to be created as a visual poem, and it is published here in honour of a wonderful and inspiring group of women I met and re-kindled spirit with on Saturday October 8th, at Romio Shrestha’s workshop on art for peace and transformation in London.

Please add your comments below about the workshop, the poetry or whatever moves you.

You can see more and a video about the Taras at christinemiller.co.

 

the goddess tree poem by Christine Miller

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Being Inspired

Finding Inspiration –
Ideas for Lightening Life 

Some sources and moments of inspiration are evergreen, timeless, universal.

They appeal to a deep, shared human experience, the spirit of which which has filled us with awe and wonder for eons. 

Magical Moons

Spending time outdoors in deep, dark velvety nights, here in South West France where we have zero light pollution, means that our stargazing, planet spotting, seeing and sensing of the delicious sparkling over-mantle of the Milky Way above, are a regular source of inspiring moments for spirit and soul.

The full moon can be astonishing in its size and brightness, and I love to see it peeping from behind the trees. The photograph has a mistily masked effect,  and  nicely captures the mood and magic of our mellow moon.

This poem below, though, was inspired by an amazing full moon which shone so splendidly on the sea, as I was returning home during a time I spent in Lyme Regis*, writing at a friend’s  house .

For tips and Ideas on Being Inspired, sign up for our newsletter and ask for our *free gift guide to writing love letters, poetry and poetic prose, in the sidebar alongside this post. 

* Lyme is a favourite seaside resort in Dorset, UK, which is famous for its Heritage Coast rich in fossils dating back to the Jurassic period. It’s a quaintly attractive town with many artists and writers, wonderful walks and scenery and the world famous Cobb harbour is a major draw – “not just for its visual splendour and its magnificent naval architecture, but also for its connections with great literature. Indeed people come from all over the world to see the steps where Louisa Musgrove fell in Jane Austen’s Persuasion; or to see where Meryl Streep stood, looking forlornly out to sea, in the film adaptation of John Fowles’ The French Lieutenant’s Woman.” 

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Year of Love and Light

Seasonal Joy and Reflection

Having embraced and been embraced by innumerable different experiences in recent years, I know I am not alone in describing this as a year of reflection and withdrawal, a time of letting go and welcoming, of opening and accepting.

 

A year of travelling and finding, and staying home and re-discovering – of diverse and wondrous people, places, and events, and of deep learning and a resultant sense of stillness, readiness and calm, having come through the eyes of various storms, personal, political, philosophical – all magickal

I am constantly amazed by the way in which people, ideas, and possibilities arrive – perfectly on cue, bestowing gifts of immense beauty and joy; and how the riches of my interior world shine like jewels. I have taken time this year to gather and gaze on my inner resources, realising ever more how vital it is for us to recognise and reflect on our gifts and talents, and release them to the world for greater good.

I sense that the coming year is about to be a year of great actions and emergence, of being and essence. And of Love. Always Love. Enduring, all-encompassing, unconditional Love. 

I invite you to join with me, in spirit, around the image and memory of our symbolic Festive tree, and begin to share what I passionately believe is beginning, right now. 

A Year of Love and Light 

 

We Welcome You,
In Love,
With Love,
Warmly,
Joyfully.

We welcome you.
Certain,
Fearless,
With Heart,
And with Soul.

We welcome you.
Gentler,
Stronger,
Deeper,
From Within.

We welcome you.
Subtly,
With Faith,
In Hope,
Powerful.

We welcome you.
As Truth,
Shining,
Bright Peace,
For All Souls.

With Love,

Christine

For Your Seasonal Gift of Soul Poetry Click HERE

 

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Vines

Vines

I wrote this piece in South Western France, in the Aquitaine region near Bordeaux, in the heart of wine country, where we had a holiday home which was a wonderful converted mill, surrounded by vines and open farmland, and where the panoramic views over the countryside were spectacular.

La Belle France is always a source of great inspiration for me, and I love spending time there.

From: Secret Garden of the Soul 2006 

vinesVines

Row upon row
Of vines.
Perfectly planted
Meticulously tended
Vines.

Which
At first glance
Appear
As if marching
In unison
Across the landscape.

A procession
Of unerring precision
Determined
To carry their crop,
Opaque green jewels,
To ripe readiness
For their succulent,
Plump
Purple picking:
Then
Total transformation
Into rich
Ruby red wine
For
Our lips,
Dipping
And
Sipping.

Christine Miller 

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Robert Burns Night

Burns Night

Before I dash off to dish up the cockaleekie soup, and the haggis ceremony gets underway, neeps and tatties at the ready…Let me share one of those serendipitous moments of delight.

I was strolling through the Memorial Gardens by London’s Victoria Embankment today, en route for a meeting at The Savoy (deliciously restored, more for another post…) and encountered a couple of photographers arranging Scotch, potatoes and tartan around the plinth of a statue. I had not realised before (or noticed!) that there is a very handsome monument to Robert Burns in prime position overlooking the River Thames.

To celebrate Burns night tonight January 25th, here’s the photo I took:

and a close up of the Plinth:

which is not very clear so here are the words which were originally written in a letter to ‘The Noblemen & Gentlemen of the Caledonian Hunt’:

“The Poetic Genius of my country found me at the plough and threw her inspiring mantle over me. She bade me sing the loves, the joys, the rural scenes and rural pleasures of my native soil, in my native tongue. I tuned my wild, artless notes as she inspired.”

And here’s a poem/song called ‘Westlin’ Winds’….

LYRICS:

Now westlin’ winds and slaught’ring guns
Bring autumn’s pleasant weather
The gorcock springs on whirring wings
Amang the blooming heather
Now waving grain, wide o’er the plain
Delights the weary farmer
The moon shines bright, as I rove by night
To muse upon my charmer

The paitrick lo’es the fruitfu’ fells
The plover lo’es the mountains
The woodcock haunts the lonely dells
The soaring hern the fountains
Through lofty groves the cushat roves
The path o’ man to shun it
The hazel bush o’erhangs the thrush
The spreading thorn the linnet

Thus every kind their pleasure find
The savage and the tender
Some social join, and leagues combine
Some solitary wander
Avaunt, away, the cruel sway
Tyrannic man’s dominion!
The sportsman’s joy, the murdering cry
The fluttering gory pinion!

But, Peggy dear, the evening’s clear
Thick flies the skimming swallow
The sky is blue, the fields in view
All fading green and yellow
Come let us stray our gladsome way
And view the joys of nature
The rustling corn, the fruited thorn
And ilka happy creature

We’ll gently walk, and sweetly talk
While the silent moon shines clearly
I’ll clasp thy waist, and, fondly prest
Swear how I love thee dearly
Not vernal show’rs to budding flow’rs
Not autumn to the farmer
So dear can be as thou to me
My fair my lovely charmer.

Robert Burns

If you want to have a Burns Supper and dance a few reels you can find out more here: Burns Night

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