Marilyn Hamilton's Blog, page 15

Harmonizing the Noosphere – David Robinson Zooms Outward

After two and a half years of personal devotion to leading Taizé singing online, David Robinson has decided to step back a little from conducting a global choir 3 times a week, to continue hosting the Tuesday morning sessions. Thankfully, Gloucester-based Elyn will assume Thursday leadership – and Annelise from Leeds has come forward to continue Sundays.

While we can still recall the pandemic circumstances that gave rise to this delightful Taizé invention, I wanted to recognize, remember and appreciate how David Robinson not only filled a longing and need to sing that is core to the identity of the Findhorn experience. Despite the Covid lockdown restrictions, through David’s leadership we have discovered a unique way of deepening our noosphere (as Teilhard de Chardin described our interconnections) by creating global harmony.

David responded to the seeming contraction of doors shut during lockdown, by transmuting fragmentation into an expansion of community through individual leadership, collective experimentation and global connectivity.

Before Covid (BC?) many of us took global connections for granted. We could meet friends anywhere. We could attend workshops. We could sing in ensembles, choirs and church. We could travel to the other side of the world.

So, when the doors shut during lockdown and we were forced to withdraw from this easy flow of life, we could feel an inner contraction that mirrored our outer life conditions. Many of us felt cut off and isolated. Unless we had some experience with internet group connectivity through webinars or teamwork, it was hard to imagine how we could keep up our connections, let alone create joyful routines that enlivened the soul.

But David Robinson had an imagination that embraced technical expertise, natural environments and a love of singing. Especially through singing the sacred songs of Taizé which had been a daily tradition for more than 30 years at Findhorn Foundation’s campuses at Cluny Hill, Forres and The Park Ecovillage Findhorn. David had become one of the Taizé leaders at the Cluny location.

When Taizé regular Karin Werner suggested we try singing Taizé on Zoom, David stepped forward as a pioneer to lead a new mode of experiencing Taizé. He started to experiment with design for a Zoom form of Taizé that not only engaged singers at our usual Scottish locations at The Park and Cluny – but had the possibility of embracing singers from around the world.

Whereas we had sung Taizé sacred songs daily as our in-person routine, David started a schedule on Zoom  offering Taizé on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a half hour at 8am GMT and on Sundays for a full hour at 930am GMT. He made playlists that he sourced from original recordings from the Taizé community in France, individual performers and Findhorn-related musicians (like Barbara Swetina who had brought Taizé singing to Findhorn in the late 1980’s and Kathy Kennedy in the Borders). David published the playlist music and words in emails he sent out to a growing contact list (currently approaching 500), the day before each encounter (along with secure Zoom link).

By now, most readers will know that Zoom is a powerful and generally easy technology that uses both video and audio dimensions so that groups can view individual Speakers and/or a collective Gallery. Plus, it has the facility to offer breakout rooms for small group conversations parallel to the main Zoom online room.

This sounds ideal for conditions that replicated our group in-person singing. However, Zoom (and the internet) has a quality that severely challenges the synchronization of multiple voices singing together – namely a latency period that varies depending on your computer and where you are. This means that when people sing as a choir or group, instead of harmony we hear cacophony. How to solve this seemingly intractable incoherence?

Counterintuitively, the solution David offered was to put all of us singers on mute!! So, what we heard was the beautifully performed song track and our own voice. We could choose to sing any of the 4 voices – bass, tenor, alto, soprano – and we could see the entire gallery of global singers accompanying us.

Strange as this may sound, it created a wonderful community of Taizé devotees who expanded out from Forres/Findhorn across the UK into Europe, Africa, Middle East, India, North and South America, Australia and even Japan. Despite the variation in local time zones many people were regulars – especially the Japanese singers – whose local time would be at the other end of the day to David’s Scottish morning time.

Over time David’s experiments with song selection included personal recordings from regular attendees – from Germany, Japan, England. And David himself often recorded himself accompanied by others (using his technical fearlessness to combine and recombine harmonies). David became an expert Zoom host, spotlighting the special expressions of drummers, dancers (who usually spiralled into action on the last upbeat song) and even babies (born during this period). As an added feature, David offered informal Zoom small group conversations/gatherings – Zoom Breakout rooms of 3 or 4 after every Taizé session.

He also invited someone different to read Eileen’s Guidance each day and on Sundays often we were lead by one of 13 guest hosts who worked with David to select a unique playlist, share poetry and inspirations and often solo perform instrumentals.

So, during the last two and a half years, we got to know a world of personal styles, home backgrounds and feel we have friends around the globe. Some have gone on to establish “face-to-face friendships and a WhatApp group of 50 share thoughts and feelings on a daily basis. David himself became fascinated by the globality of the Zoom Taizé experience – encouraging interconnections, drawing out passions, performances and participation. He recognizes it as a special form of globality.

As a diversity generator of the human hive, I am especially appreciative of David’s initiatives because he co-created and integrated new life conditions – not just for the 4 voices of harmony, but from the 4 voices of human habitats from around the world – citizens, business/innovators, civic managers and the 3rd sector.

This unexpected consequence of a musical nature has become a genuine part of the noosphere that connects us all.

Other Resources:

Listen to Interview with David Robinson Click Here

Read a full transcript of the Interview Click Here: David Robinson Interview rev2

Send David a request to be included in the Taizé Zoom communications here: davidddinoz@gmail.com

Cultural Initiatives Brightened Pandemic

August 2022 seems such a long way from August 2020 – 2 years since the first summer pandemic lockdown in Scotland (and most other places in the world). Where were you when you realized that you could only associate with the people in your household and when outside the home you were required to wear a mask and distance yourself 2 meters??!!

How could The Park Ecovillage Findhorn survive the severance of our economic life – namely the loss of guests attending Findhorn Foundation and all the secondary and tertiary activities and revenues that enabled in the wider community. We were faced with closed B&B’s. Closed Phoenix Café. Closed businesses. Closed cultural activities of all kinds – no singing, no dancing, no film, no theatre.

And how were we supposed to spread the updates about the pandemic when we were being kept isolated by design?

Now that the world is opening up again, I wanted to honour two Cultural Creator-Animateurs who brought aliveness, music and imagination to create whole new worlds of possibility and manifested Evolutionary Spiritual Intelligence of great depth.

In the following two blogs – meet David Robinson, Taizé Zoom Choir Master and Laura Pasetti, Animateur of 7 Directions Theatre. They made my pandemic experience not only endurable but invented whole new cultural experiences that demonstrated PlaceCaring of the highest order.

Follow the blog links and read the articles, connect to the personal interviews, access the transcripts … I invite you to celebrate with me the adaptability, resilience and creativity of David and Laura.

Pilgrimage 5 – Discovering Knaresborough as Alive Human Hive

From the Manchester area our pilgrimage continued to Knaresborough announced with the exuberance of a poster circulated by Amanda Faulkner to city Voices, inviting them to celebrate Knaresborough on the Global Stage. Amanda is not only a grad of Integral City Beyond Resilient, but also a Community Action Network with aspirations to implement Donut Ecomomics and other frameworks that will help Knaresborough utilize evaluative feedback tools as it becomes regenerative, accountable and Alive.

Amanda arranged for an invigorating tour through the city starting at the medieval Knaresborough Castle, overlooking the River Nidd from a great height viewing the sweep of the water from the railway bridge around a great bend and down the weirs as it moves east.

From the castle we walked down the escarpment to Saint Robert’s Cave where the history and traditions of the Trinitarian order he founded is remembered in the riverside cave that was Robert’s early hermitage.

The local guides then walked us to the sacred Chapel of our Lady of the Crag – a grotto carved out of the sandstone crag (guarded by an imposing stone Knight) and holding a statue of Mary and the Babe – which we observed was visited by a steady flow of pilgrims.

As we strolled through the town Amanda proudly showed us the Hive location (just down the way from the Market Cross which relates the long history of this city marker) that is to become the centre for Knaresborough – a Human Hive as an Integral Living City – something that will become the new normal for children of all the 4 Voices of the City.

Before arriving for dinner with Knareborough’s 4 Voices, Sue Cooper and I were given an extensive tour of the Allotment by proud horticulturist Jeff. We happily sampled abundant harvests of gooseberries, currants, raspberries, strawberries, early plums – and viewed the harvest of a local gardener that included beautiful cauliflower, beans, potatoes, leeks, onions, lettuce. It was clear that many delicious meals were destined to be enjoyed by these over 70 allotment holders (plus another 50 on nearby land).

Amanda had invited her neighbours, colleagues and friends to share their love of their city – as they personally navigated us about the city – such veritable “vessels” of pride and regeneration that I declared that I needed a flotation device to keep myself afloat.

That was readily supplied at the evening gathering (in a beautiful church facility in the town centre with kitchen, eating space and meeting room). While adults (from all the 4 Voices of the City) enjoyed the reflections and appreciations shared by Sue Cooper and Marilyn Hamilton in the downstairs space, children enjoyed their own “Feastival” with food and games upstairs.

Marilyn admired Knaresborough’s strong energy for change – which she had witnessed with every engagement and stop about the city – virtually following the Integral City Maps. We saw in action the bio-psycho-cultural-systemic ase. The 4 Voices were all present in the evening gathering. Already they had been exploring the themes that citizens were keen to explore and develop – economy, education, transportation, tourism and many more. But more importantly the 4 Voices were already active in envisioning a new future for Knaresborough (as it becomes decoupled from Harrogate’s regional direction) – one that embraces its rich history and traditions, while recalibrating life for humans and nature – that offers the next generations hope and potential – Amanda calls that an adventure for Earth Punks!!

Our parting time in Knaresborough returned us to Amanda’s allotment where we enjoyed mint tea from her garden and connected Amanda (and Shan Oakes our gracious B&B hostess) to the Gathering of the Graceful Warriors (painting by Alison Knox) – thus making a bridge between the Nottinghamshire and Manchester Monastery with the delightful calling of this Gathering from the Subtle Realms – that holds such inspiration and promise for all the intentions Knaresborough holds to become an Integral Living City with its own Hive,  alive with the 4 Voices of the City living the Master Code of Care – caring for person, people, place and planet.

This blog series celebrates a pilgrimage to North England in July 2022. The series includes:

Pilgrimage 1 – Starting in NorthumberlandPilgrimage 2 – Opening Nottinghamshire 4 Voices into Heart of EmergencePilgrimage 3 – Exploring Visible & Invisible RealmsPilgrimage 4 – Exploring the Manchester Gorton MonasteryPilgrimage 5 – Discovering Knaresborough as Alive Human Hive

Pilgrimage 4 – Exploring the Manchester Gorton Monastery

I have ancestral roots in the Manchester area – my grandfather was born in Salford. My late husband Peter Dobson, grew up in Tiddlesley/Staley Bridge area of greater Manchester. Also in the early 1980’s I travelled frequently through this area as Peter visited the suppliers to the vehicle testing facilities he was project managing for British Leyland in the Midlands.  So perhaps that is why I felt a strange familiarity in returning to this area?

But nothing could have prepared me for the encounter with a Gothic cathedral in the midst of an old industrial area of Manchester – Gorton – once the capital of train locomotive manufacture?

As we drove up from the south-east – there before me was the former Monastery erected by the Franciscans in the mid 1800’s – to serve a growing and thriving congregation of workers located in the heartland of the industrial revolution.

No longer maintaining its attached friary, the body of the cathedral rises 3-4 stories above the cloisters that still remain – as quiet sanctuary from the busy world – formed with sacred geometry around the Apse power point used to survey and measure the building of the monastery itself.

Inside, the scale of the nave with its towering columns and 12 saints (restored from almost demolition when they had been saved from auction as mere garden statues) provides a breathtaking space that leads to the stained glass framed altar that was in use as recently as the 1950’s and -60’s.

But as the friary was decommissioned, the building was vandalized, damaged and all valuables stolen.

If the monastery could be viewed as a symbol of the Earth herself, the damage done to it can signify how humans have damaged the planet.

As one contemplates in the Gorton Monastery, the history of the Francisan Order, and its apparent close association with the Knights Templar (carved into many stone faces) one senses that one is passing through a Field of Ancestors – full of Kings, Councillors, murderers and alleged witches (rememberd by their burnings).

With this sacred site memorializing a history so full of trauma, it is no wonder that one is lead to contemplate the need for the human energy Field for cleansing, clearing and purifying in every human habitat and bio-region.

I see on the Altar a painting by Alison Knox: Angel on the Altar.

My friend Sue Cooper places a second Knox painting that she has brought along as our “angelic company” – “The Gathering of the Graceful Warriors”. (See image and listen to the poem here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTyqyR7P-pQ )

After our brief introduction to the Altar, Gill Harbach led us to the centre of the nave where we experienced a daily ritual in the monastery – an hour of “Sacred Silence”.

Then Gill Harbach, Sacred Landscape/Site Expert gave us a tour of the Monastery, its deep history from the story of Francis of Assissi to the creation of the Franciscan Order, exploring their connections to the Knights Templar – showing all the symbols carved into the building.

Sue Cooper has been invited to co-create a centre for wellbeing at the Monastery, deeply liked to her work as initator of Moments of Mass Mindfullness (MOMM).

Now we are curious how these links of the Monastery and MOMM connect to the callings of Integral City Meshworks and the newly emerging Living Cities Earth.

Perhaps it is the Archeons, The Graceful Warriors or other invisible realms who are calling us to gather for a higher purpose?

I am listening for direction … and the first direction I received related to the Ancestors – calling us to do the work of Systemic Constellations so that Right Order, Belonging and Systemic Balance can be aligned for right relationship with Mother Earth.

But I must admit I am pondering whether this is the End of our Route – or just the beginning?

This blog series celebrates a pilgrimage to North England in July 2022. The series includes:

Pilgrimage 1 – Starting in NorthumberlandPilgrimage 2 – Opening Nottinghamshire 4 Voices into Heart of EmergencePilgrimage 3 – Exploring Visible & Invisible RealmsPilgrimage 4 – Exploring the Manchester Gorton MonasteryPilgrimage 5 – Discovering Knaresborough as Alive Human Hive

Pilgrimage 3 – Exploring Visible & Invisible Realms

When one is on the road to proposing how to reinvent the city, it is not a usual approach to invite in the angels. But sometimes a teacher, disguised as a student turns up in your class (e.g. Sue Cooper in Integral City’s “Beyond Resilient” course – who is clearly on mission – through Moments of Mass Mindfulness to make introductions that matter – or is that energize? – or in-form?).

Integral City clearly has Maps of its wholistic, organic, evolutionary spiritual reframings – which clearly includes Map 5 of Spirituality. We are used to pointing to the Involutionary path of Source Energy into the city, manifesting into the gross realm of Beauty, Truth and Goodness. And we are used to talking about the Evolutionary path of consciousness as it emerges in the gross realm of Beauty, Truth and Goodness manifest in Earth and all her life.

But we don’t often have occasion to share the wonders of the Subtle Realms that exist as gateways, bridges and AQtivators between the Gross Realm and Causal/Non-Dual Realms.

Meeting the Archeons

However, in the middle of July 2022 we were introduced by Alison Knox to the Beings she has come to know as the Archeons. Alison shared a guided meditation that introduced us to each Archeon as she has come to know them by painting them as personally instructed by each angel.

This constellation of Archeons include:

Archeon MetatronArcheon AzraelArcheon MichaelArcheon RaphaelArcheon GabrielArcheon Uriel

A seventh Being has recently come forward – namely, Melchizedek.

Their Messages can be read at this website archeaons.com … click on The Messages.

Alison Knox considers herself the channel of the Archeons (and Melchizek) –  anointed and employed by them to offer their power to Earth and humans at this time.

For a while now, I have been emoting that the perils and challenges we face on Earth (through human’s own unwise actions) will require help from the Subtle Realms who share this planet with us.

The Lorians have introduced me to the Sidhe– who partner me daily. Swan Treasure has introduced me to the Findhorn Spirits. The Founders of Findhorn Foundation have long invoked the powers of the Subtle Reams through Angels (of Findhorn), the Landscape Angels (Gaia’s Local Representatives) and the co-creators of the Transformation Game have offered their Constellation of Angels.

So I am realizing that multiple rituals abound and the Archeons are stepping forward to offer their guidance.

I have thanked Alison for her courage and power in revealing the Archeons to the world (including now me). Now I ask, “How can I take counsel and courage to invite the Archeons into the worlds of Integral City and Living Cities Earth?” Is it time to take courage to open the Book of Esoterica for Integral City / Living City empowerment? To go beyond city planning and managing into the Imaginaries of Spirit, Energy and Field Realms?

Perhaps the invitation started with our imagining the Novellas? Opening to possibilities grounded in Earth realities but not limited by human material constraints?

This blog series celebrates a pilgrimage to North England in July 2022. The series includes:

Pilgrimage 1 – Starting in NorthumberlandPilgrimage 2 – Opening Nottinghamshire 4 Voices into Heart of EmergencePilgrimage 3 – Exploring Visible & Invisible RealmsPilgrimage 4 – Exploring the Manchester Gorton MonasteryPilgrimage 5 – Discovering Knaresborough as Alive Human Hive

Pilgrimage 3 – the Visible & Invisible Realms

When one is on the road to proposing how to reinvent the city, it is not a usual approach to invite in the angels. But sometimes a teacher, disguised as a student turns up in your class (e.g. Sue Cooper in Integral City’s “Beyond Resilient” course – who is clearly on mission – through Moments of Mass Mindfulness to make introductions that matter – or is that energize? – or in-form?).

Integral City clearly has Maps of its wholistic, organic, evolutionary spiritual reframings – which clearly includes Map 5 of Spirituality. We are used to pointing to the Involutionary path of Source Energy into the city, manifesting into the gross realm of Beauty, Truth and Goodness. And we are used to talking about the Evolutionary path of consciousness as it emerges in the gross realm of Beauty, Truth and Goodness manifest in Earth and all her life.

But we don’t often have occasion to share the wonders of the Subtle Realms that exist as gateways, bridges and AQtivators between the Gross Realm and Causal/Non-Dual Realms.

Meeting the Archeons

However, in the middle of July 2022 we were introduced by Alison Knox to the Beings she has come to know as the Archeons. Alison shared a guided meditation that introduced us to each Archeon as she has come to know them by painting them as personally instructed by each angel.

This constellation of Archeons include:

Archeon MetatronArcheon AzraelArcheon MichaelArcheon RaphaelArcheon GabrielArcheon Uriel

A seventh Being has recently come forward – namely, Melchizedek.

Their Messages can be read at this website archeaons.com … click on The Messages.

Allison Knox considers herself the channel of the Archeons (and Melchizek) –  anointed and employed by them to offer their power to Earth and humans at this time.

For a while now, I have been emoting that the perils and challenges we face on Earth (through human’s own unwise actions) will require help from the Subtle Realms who share this planet with us.

The Lorians have introduced me to the Sidhe- who partner me daily. Swan Treasure has introduced me to the Findhorn Spirits. The Founders of Findhorn Foundation have long invoked the powers of the Subtle Reams through Angels (of Findhorn), the Landscape Angels (Gaia’s Local Representatives) and the co-creators of the Game of Transformation have offered their Constellation of Angels.

So I am realizing that multiple rituals abound and the Archeons are stepping forward to offer their guidance.

I have thanked Alison for her courage and power in revealing the Archeons to the world (including now me). Now I ask, “How can I take counsel and courage to invite the Archeons into the worlds of Integral City and Living Cities Earth?” Is it time to take courage to open the Book of Esoterica for Integral City / Living City empowerment? To go beyond city planning and managing into the Imaginaries of Spirit, Energy and Field Realms?

Perhaps the invitation started with our imagining the Novellas? Opening to possibilities grounded in Earth realities but not limited by human material constraints?

This blog series celebrates a pilgrimage to North England in July 2022. The series includes:

Pilgrimage to NorthumberlandPilgrimage 2 – Nottinghamshire 4 Voices into Heart of Emergence

Pilgrimage 2 – Opening Nottinghamshire 4 Voices Into Heart of Emergence

The next stage of my journey was by rail from Hexham Northumberland to Nottingham to meet Sue Cooper – friend, colleague and graduate of the Integral City Beyond Resilient Course.

Sue’s husband Ashley, describes her as a “force of Nature” – and indeed that became apparent on our first stop from the train station – to a rendezvous in a treehouse to meet Alex with Jackie and Claire – the initiators of Positively Empowered Kids. They are all working towards creating the conditions for Kids to thrive. Alex has extraordinary experience as Chair of Guides/Scouts and  International Representative of Children to Europe and UN. From an entrepreneurial background she has been able to translate her knowledge of dynamic private organizations into the 3rd sector and is clearly integrating the 3 other Voices of the City – business/innovators, citizens and civic managers to raise funds and focus on the wellbeing of children and the Voice of Youth.

From a treehouse in the afternoon to the blissful garden of Dr. Elizabeth  the next morning, Sue gathered all 4 Voices of Nottinghamshire to meet each other and listen to how each of them has a passion for creating thriving conditions for Youth Voice in Action. Jas Bilku and Shana Gupta represented Business/Innovators, Melitta Bryon wearing the hat of Councillor (and past hats of Sherrif and and Lord Mayor of Nottingham) and Dr. Karen Neill Pharmacist of Health Education and could speak as Civic Managers, Marion  as Citizen Voice. All listened with deep respect to Claire and Jackie introduce their initiative of Positively Empowered Kids (PEK) – with a special focus on the Festival planned for September. Inspired to meet again before the festival to provide support and outreach that would enable all children to attend with a Free Ticket – the 4 Voices moved from Inquiry to Action with strong intentions to make an Impact with the PEK festival.

Continuing on the theme of Nature gardens, Sue and I dropped into Nina Dauban’s  garden for an experience of Peace and to visit her Peace Pole. Sue attuned her “Sacred Heart of Emergence” pendants to Nina’s inspiration and poem. As Executive Director of Notthinghamshire Community Foundation, Nina has special interest in the Youth Voice in Action initiatives and made several useful suggestions how Positively Empowered Kids Festival could apply for funds (duly communicated to Jackie and Claire as we departed the garden). Her open-hearted, mindful energy brings the “Mother/Master Code of Care” to life – as symbolized in the pendants and  expressed in this poem.

The sacred heart of the Emergence

Can you feel the beauty in every part

Its causes, its wisdom, its living art

Can you sing the song of flying free

Of dancing with life, how it’s meant to be

…

Can you be with great joy as we join it together

Surrendering to love, the emerging endeavour

What if we offer a Temple of New?

What’s is possible for us, what can we do?

How can we honour this sacred court

A spirited response from our Unified heart.

Nina Dauban 2018

This blog series celebrates a pilgrimage to North England in July 2022. The series includes:

Pilgrimage 1 – Starting in NorthumberlandPilgrimage 2 – Opening Nottinghamshire 4 Voices into Heart of EmergencePilgrimage 3 – Exploring Visible & Invisible RealmsPilgrimage 4 – Exploring the Manchester Gorton MonasteryPilgrimage 5 – Discovering Knaresborough as Alive Human Hive

Pilgrimage 2 – Nottinghamshire 4 Voices Into Heart of Emergence

The next stage of my journey was by rail from Hexham Northumberland to Nottingham to meet Sue Cooper – friend, colleague and graduate of the Integral City Beyond Resilient Course.

Sue’s husband Ashley, describes her as a “force of Nature” – and indeed that became apparent on our first stop from the train station – to a rendezvous in a treehouse to meet Alex with Jackie and Claire – the initiators of Positively Empowered Kids. They are all working towards creating the conditions for Kids to thrive. Alex has extraordinary experience as Chair of Guides/Scouts and  International Representative of Children to Europe and UN. From an entrepreneurial background she has been able to translate her knowledge of dynamic private organizations into the 3rd sector and is clearly integrating the 3 other Voices of the City – business/innovators, citizens and civic managers to raise funds and focus on the wellbeing of children and the Voice of Youth.

From a treehouse in the afternoon to the blissful garden of Dr. Elizabeth  the next morning, Sue gathered all 4 Voices of Nottinghamshire to meet each other and listen to how each of them has a passion for creating thriving conditions for Youth Voice in Action. Jas Bilku and Shana Gupta represented Business/Innovators, Melitta Bryon wearing the hat of Councillor (and past hats of Sherrif and and Lord Mayor of Nottingham) and Dr. Karen Neill Pharmacist of Health Education and could speak as Civic Managers, Marion  as Citizen Voice. All listened with deep respect to Claire and Jackie introduce their initiative of Positively Empowered Kids (PEK) – with a special focus on the Festival planned for September. Inspired to meet again before the festival to provide support and outreach that would enable all children to attend with a Free Ticket – the 4 Voices moved from Inquiry to Action with strong intentions to make an Impact with the PEK festival.

Continuing on the theme of Nature gardens, Sue and I dropped into Nina Dauban’s  garden to visit her Peace Pole and attune Sue’s “Sacred Heart of Emergence” pendants to Nina’s inspiration and poem. As Executive Director of Notthinghamshire Community Foundation, Nina has special interest in the Youth Voice in Action initiatives and made several useful suggestions how Positively Empowered Kids Festival could apply for funds (duly communicated to Jackie and Claire as we departed the garden). Her open-hearted, mindful energy (symbolized in the pendants) is expressed in this poem.

The sacred heart of the Emergence

Can you feel the beauty in every part

Its causes, its wisdom, its living art

Can you sing the song of flying free

Of dancing with life, how it’s meant to be

…

Can you be with great joy as we join it together

Surrendering to love, the emerging endeavour

What if we offer a Temple of New?

What’s is possible for us, what can we do?

How can we honour this sacred court

A spirited response from our Unified heart.

Nina Dauban 2018

This blog series celebrates a pilgrimage to North England in July 2022. The series includes:

Pilgrimage to Northumberland

Pilgrimage 1 – Starting in Northumberland

I took a pilgrimage through the north of England in the early part of July 2022.

I didn’t know it would be a pilgrimage – just visits with friends – but it turns out the Subtle Realms had other plans.

I started with a road trip with a friend from Findhorn Ecovillage to Roman and medieval Corbridge in Northumberland – staying in a cottage right opposite the medieval castle of Aydon. Occupied for 700 years and now a jewel in the county inspiring art that captures the shape of doors (cast in 3 brass vessels), rough hewn chairs made by hand as they would have been done in earlier days, and the deep textures of stone walls and wood rafters erected for one family and feudal fealty, then quickly garrisoned by Royal troops (requiring the building of a second kitchen to feed them) then returned to more peaceful uses as working farm – whose ancient orchard, pregnant with apples – now hides behind stone walls overlooking Cor brook and forest.

The amble through Corbridge town gave us views over the river Tyne, past cottage gardens in tumultuous high summer bloom right into the Spokes coffee shop where bikers and their bikes were as equally welcome, as lazy tourists like us. We shared the back patio after many had returned from or were en route to Hadrian’s wall which traverses the northern edge of the town.

Little remains of Hadrian’s stone wall except the ditch which demarked its path from east to west coast – reminding us of the Roman commitment to the defence from the “wild” clans of the north.

This was my first stop on the pilgrimage where the influence of the “ancestors” was palpable in the landscape, visible in human hand on the countryside and imposed on the structures that defended English royalty from Scottish incursions and was still visible more the 7 generations later.

The jumble of historical times reminded me of my own history backtracking from birthplace Canada, to emigrate to Findhorn Scotland, birth nation of my grandmother. I am reminded that I could make a voluntary peaceful choice of that continental move – so different than those who are today are forced to flee their home countries as refugees from war and/or climate change – whether that be Ukraine, Syria or Mogadishu.

This first stop on my pilgrimage gave me a chance to rest and appreciate the blessings of my life alive as friendship, cultural history, freedom to move and systems that ancestors have made in the past that care for me in the present.

Ancestors, sky people be here today … hear my heart’s song, here my respect …

This blog series celebrates a pilgrimage to North England in July 2022. The series includes:

Pilgrimage 1 – Starting in NorthumberlandPilgrimage 2 – Opening Nottinghamshire 4 Voices into Heart of EmergencePilgrimage 3 – Exploring Visible & Invisible RealmsPilgrimage 4 – Exploring the Manchester Gorton MonasteryPilgrimage 5 – Discovering Knaresborough as Alive Human Hive

Pilgrimage to Northumberland

I took a pilgrimage through the north of England in the early part of July 2022.

I didn’t know it would be a pilgrimage – just visits with friends – but it turns out the Subtle Realms had other plans.

I started with a road trip with a friend from Findhorn Ecovillage to Roman and medieval Corbridge in Northumberland – staying in a cottage right opposite the medieval castle of Aydon. Occupied for 700 years and now a jewel in the county inspiring art that captures the shape of doors (cast in 3 brass vessels), rough hewn chairs made by hand as they would have been done in earlier days, and the deep textures of stone walls and wood rafters erected for one family and feudal fealty, then quickly garrisoned by Royal troops (requiring the building of a second kitchen to feed them) then returned to more peaceful uses as working farm – whose ancient orchard, pregnant with apples – now hides behind stone walls overlooking Cor brook and forest.

The amble through Corbridge town gave us views over the river Tyne, past cottage gardens in tumultuous high summer bloom right into the Spokes coffee shop where bikers and their bikes were as equally welcome, as lazy tourists like us. We shared the back patio after many had returned from or were en route to Hadrian’s wall which traverses the northern edge of the town.

Little remains of Hadrian’s stone wall except the ditch which demarked its path from east to west coast – reminding us of the Roman commitment to the defence from the “wild” clans of the north.

This was my first stop on the pilgrimage where the influence of the “ancestors” was palpable in the landscape, visible in human hand on the countryside and imposed on the structures that defended English royalty from Scottish incursions.

The jumble of historical times reminded me of my own history backtracking from birthplace Canada, to emigrate to Findhorn Scotland, birth nation of my grandmother. I am reminded that I could make a voluntary peaceful choice of that continental move – so different than those who are today are forced to flee their home countries as refugees from war and/or climate change – whether that be Ukraine, Syria or Mogadishu.

This first stop on my pilgrimage gave me a chance to rest and appreciate the blessings of my life alive as friendship, cultural history, freedom to move and systems that ancestors have made in the past that care for me in the present.

Ancestors, sky people be here today … hear my heart’s song, here my respect …

This blog series celebrates a pilgrimage to North England in July 2022. The series includes: