These two are intimately connected. You can’t shine out your deepest self without risking to be hurt. And the tenderest part of yourself is your greatest beauty.

I wouldn’t expect a relationship with a human being to mature and deepen quickly. So why should I want to rush my relationship with the apple trees, the ash and the soil at Westacre? I will be spending my life here. There is enough time to make deep friendships with the spirits of this place. There is time to savour each encounter for what it is, right now, right here.

Whenever I find stillness, I find my connection to the spirit that lies beneath all reality. Usually I find it in meditation. Today, unexpectedly, I found it while painting a wall.

In this dark time, as the days dwindle and the light dims, take time to sit and listen. The darkness holds deep nurture. It draws you down to the bare bones of your life. In the bedrock of your existence lies inspiration for the new cycle to come, and strength for it go grow.

For nature, as we know, is at once without and within us. Art is the mirror at the interface. So too is ritual; so also myth. These, too, “bring out the grand lines of nature,” and in doing so, re-establish us in our own deep truth, which is one with that of all being.

– Joseph Campbell, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space, p. 132

When you’re working away at a large project, it can seem overwhelming. A tall mountain, a heavy burden, an endless task. But really, every tiny thing you do – even this, having a rest and reading this post – is part of the adventure. Everything you do weaves a thread of colour into the great tapestry. Some colours are dull, others vibrant. But each is exactly where it belongs. Celebrate the larger pattern you are weaving with every tiny thread.

There are times when the history between two communities is just too painful to bear, and they clash violently. Tonight, I won’t think about which side I’m on. I send a prayer of protection to all who find themselves in the line of fire. A prayer that unites all Druids and has the potential to unite all existences:

“Grant, O Spirit, thy protection;
and in protection, strength;
and in strength, understanding;
and in understanding, knowledge;
and in knowledge, the knowledge of justice;
and in the knowledge of justice, the love of it;
and in the love of it, the love of all existences;
and in the love of all existences
the love of Spirit, and all goodness.”

When you feel tired and stressed, remember what you love about what you are doing. The more love and passion you give to your everyday life, the more joy you will find. If you don’t love anything about what you are doing, urgently find something else to do!

The world needs you right now. It needs all of us to be the best we can be. So fill your life with all the passion you’ve got and let it shine as a bright light for all of us.

Whatever you are doing, whatever you are going through, keep breathing. We are all tempted to hold our breath in an attempt to protect ourselves. It doesn’t work. It just adds to the strain. Breathe. Let your emotions flow with your breath. Find ease.