Dear friends,
It is a joy once again to be sharing thoughts with you at this time of celebration, reflection, transition and renewal. I know that for many of our guests and friends 2022 has been a year of challenge whether it be still trying to adjust to the repercussions of the Covid Pandemic and dealing with the resultant economic upheaval. There is also the spectre of ongoing load shedding plus the endless negative media barrage of distressing global political and environmental issues. I am also keenly aware that many of Temenos’ friends have also had to contend with unexpected health crises and the unexpected loss of loved ones. On a personal note I too have been contending with the forces of change, primarily adjusting to the absence of my own dear ones. I now know, more deeply than ever before, that grief feels to be far worse a few months after one’s loss and that it comes upon one in sudden waves brought on by the simplest things – a song, a sunset, the stirring of the breeze, someone’s smile. Thanks however in large part to the loving support of friends and to a practice of trusting the flow, I am indeed learning to swim with the waves and to discover over and over again the calm, sunlit waters of rich memories and boundless gratitude.
As we draw to the close of 2022, I hope to be emerging from an inward looking year to a time of new prospects in spite of all the above challenges that our world is facing. While shunning the oppressive habit of New Year resolutions, the milestone of a New Year invites me to revisit what hope and faith may mean in such a changing inner and outer world? This invitation means so much more than merely trying to be optimistic or to look for silver linings in everything. Rather, it is an opportunity to keep one’s spiritual life – whatever form that takes- fresh and alive by reflecting on and committing to a renewal of one’s inspiration. This may simply mean taking time to listen again to one’s Inner Pilot who will always guide us towards wholeness and healing.
Did you know that this place of listening, the sacred space within ourselves, is called a Temenos? It is the holy ground, unique to everyone, where the divine may be encountered. It is only here that we truly hear the invitation to transcend our present limitations and challenges, to be marvellously authentic and to embrace future changes with an open heart. It may take courage to realign with more conscious choices for our lives for it is all too easy to be swamped by circumstances or a general pervasive pessimism. But as Paulo Coelho writes,’ the gift of faith and hope belongs to whoever chooses to accept it. It is enough to believe and not be afraid.’
My wish for all of you is that you glimpse a new dawn within yourself, that your dreams nourish your soul and all the creatures, and that you believe ever more deeply in your own worth and beauty.
With love,
Billy