breathofgreenair

All things Pass -We are Reborn with each Breath

Posted on November 10, 2015 by greenmackenzie

Prayer of the Desperate
She had crawled here on her knees

Over the sharp broken bones of her life.

She had come to bargain with every god she had ever heard named.

Bruised clouds closed around the moon

Golden leaves shivered

And she traded away every drop of goodness from her existence.

Her heart torn open

Lay beating on the cold earth

Her breath ragged from tears

Pounded the night air,

As her soul poured out in desperate pleading,

That her son might live.

Seonaid Green 2013

I wrote this 2 years ago, 4 years after the trauma, and it’s that time of year again when the memories come flooding back in. Something about the light, the colours, the scent and sounds creates a pattern which my brain can’t help but match with very difficult emotions and memories. At such times it’s as though I have been literally pulled back into the past, atleast that’s what my brain believes, and the emotions can feel suffocating and all encompassing. The world around me a bewildering mess.

These are times when mindfulness is especially helpful to me, allowing me to come back into the present, into the here and now, where all is well and nobodies life hangs on a thread. Trauma can and will pull us back into the darkness of chaos, but we don’t have to stay there believing the stories of our mind. Instead we can pull ourselves back into the present moment, and immerse ourselves in the new unfolding stories of now. The stories created by our bodily senses, woven fresh on each new breath, carrying us forwards into our life. Calm in the knowledge that the past has indeed passed. Who knows what lies ahead, but right now there’s a freshly brewed pot of coffee filling the kitchen with rich temping smells, and freshly baked bread to be savoured and eaten. This moment is a good one, so I think I’ll stay with it for now, and enjoy its pleasures.

Posted in mindfulness, poem, spiritual | Tagged challenge, death, hope, illness, life, mindfulness, poetry, recovery, spiritual, trauma | 39 Comments

Ornate Protector

Posted on November 9, 2015 by greenmackenzie

This highly ornate creature is a sanctuary knocker or hagoday, and he hangs on the door of Durham Cathedral. Offering the protection of sanctuary or asylum to anyone who grasps the bronze ring, he was a powerful force in the legal system of the past. Anyone who reached this ornate protector could claim 37 days of protection from persecutors, but was not allowed outside the bounds of the church during their stay.

The beautiful detail on the sanctuary knocker was cast in bronze in the 12 th century, and the frightening features of the beast were said to remind the fugitive of the awful fate which lay ahead. If they confessed to their crime they would be granted forgiveness by Gods priests, but would have to leave Britain forever via the nearest port within 37 days. Otherwise they could seek trial by giving themselves up to the local authorities. Perhaps fleeing from mob justice, they fled into the jaws of the beast, hoping to save their lives, but would be forever changed one way or another.

Often described as a lion, I found the ornate creature more reminiscent of a wolf, and his eyes remind me of the 2000 year old bronze war carnyx found in Deskford, Scotland. Certainly he guards the gateway between life and death, and it’s easy to imagine the multitude of hands which have reached in desperation for the protection of this beast.

Despite being a replica ( the original is housed inside the cathedral now) it is still a very evocative piece. I can easily get absorbed in all the delicate detail, lost for a while in admiration for the artistry of our ancestors.

Posted in ancient history, Celtic, spiritual | Tagged ancient, bronze, Celtic, doorways, Durham, hagaday, history, justice, ornate, postaday, sanctuary, spuritual | 31 Comments

Autumn Treats

Posted on November 3, 2015 by greenmackenzie

Walking out into the woods I found Autumn had cast her golden spell across the land. Everything green was now dipped in shimmering coppers and bronze, and the long low shadows drew lines across the earth. The light was magical and edged with soft rising mist. The glory of change and the ever turning earth was lit with wild abandon all around.

Nothing lasts forever, not even this years long lingering summer, and change sweeps in fresh new beauty and unimagined colours. Do you delight in the turning seasons and their unique colours, or do you like many see Autumn purely as a dreaded sign of the coming winter? See if you can let go of your imagined tales of winter woe, and glory instead in the treat of autumns wildly beautiful palette in the here and now. Don’t get swept up in the dread of leaf clearing, instead plough into those piles of wonderful crisp leaves and kick around. Let your inner child guide you into the joy of Autumn and the glory of change, and leave the adult worries behind for a little while.

Autumn is a delicious treat to be savoured if you can. A glorious riot of colour and wild change. A time of release and transition, and a time of boots and gloves and coats, and candles in the evening. A move away from the bright warm light of summer into something quieter and more peaceful. Can you enjoy the change?

Posted in change, elemental, mindfulness | Tagged Autumn, change, keaves, life, mindfulness, nature, postaday, spiritual, trees, woodland | 38 Comments

Winters crows

Posted on October 23, 2015 by greenmackenzie

Storm inspired watercolour….winter is coming

Posted in art, elemental, mythology, Uncategorized | Tagged art, birds, Celtic, crows, mindfulness, mythology, painting, ravens, scotland, water colour | 34 Comments

Autumn storms

Posted on October 23, 2015 by greenmackenzie

Summer has reluctantly released her hold, and the Caileach Bheur of winter has swept across the west coast of Scotland today. She has burnished all the grass copper and turned the sea a wild storm blue. All the old dust of the year has been swept away in her wake.

She is washing her plaid in the bright blue waters of the Minch and sending white foamed waves coursing into all the bays and inlets. It seems nothing of the summer will remain, and yet the hills and heather stand firm against her sweeping change.

Posted in change, elemental, Plockton | Tagged Autumn, Caileach Bheur, change, dogs, Highlands, landscape, photography, scotland, storms, travel, wind | 24 Comments

Late Harvest

Posted on October 19, 2015 by greenmackenzie

Late sunbeam harvest

Drinking up the golden light

Each seed holds a dream

Taken as the sun sank into the Cairngorms in the middle of the Scottish highlands.

Posted in nature photo, poem, spiritual | Tagged Autumn, golden hour, Haiku, light burst, mindfulness, photography, poetry, scotland, spiritual | 28 Comments

Places to be Happy

Posted on October 13, 2015 by greenmackenzie

In my garden playing ball with my dogs, always makes me happy, even if I’ve been having a terrible day. The dogs pull me right into the joy of the here and now, and away from too much thinking nonsense.
Walking with the dogs next to the river, and paddling along beside them in my wellies, makes me as happy as a little girl. Carefree and without concern for the future just for a while, I splash around among the beautiful reflections, forgetting the world of people. Here I’m soothed by nature, the best nurse of all.

Walking through familiar woodland paths with my happy squirrel chasing dogs, makes my heart bright and light. The colourful tumbling leaves of early autumn bring an extra dose of pleasure, as the year gently breathes out and lets go of another summer.

At the beach with the dogs and the restless salty sea, I am at my most playful. The grown up world of responsibilities and decisions seems far away, and I happily let it all go, dissolving into the beauty and joy of the moment.

With a flask of hot tea, and my gorgeous doggie friends, anything can be put right. If it’s sipped with a soft sea breeze in our hair, then the joy is doubled, and the whole world can find a way to sit happily in my head.

I think you might have noticed a theme emerging here. I’m at my happiest with my dogs at my side immersed in nature and all her joyful beauty. Time away from the busy demands of people, with the whisper of waves or leaves in my ear, and the soft pad of furry paws beside me, allows my happiness levels to rise and my stress levels to drop away. The world around us is full of wonderful healing gifts if only we take the time to notice and accept them….

Where are your happy places?

Kat also wrote about dog filled happiness in nature

Posted in dogs, mindfulness, weekly photo challenge | Tagged dogs, happy, health, mindfulness, nature, peace, photography, postaday, relaxation, slowing down, spiritual | 50 Comments

Summers Decline

Posted on October 6, 2015 by greenmackenzie

Summer falls from us

Sipping rose tea heedlessly

As the dark creeps in

Posted in change, mindfulness, poem | Tagged change, garden, Haiku, mindfulness, nature, poetry, postaday, relaxation, summer, tea | 20 Comments

Meeting Boundaries

Posted on October 3, 2015 by greenmackenzie

We stand in the middle of a world we feel we know, and within the known we can relax and soften. It feels relatively predictable and safe this known world we inhabit. Yet pushing in around the edges of this comfortable world is the unknown, the new, the yet to be encountered. This boundary or edge between the known and the unknown presents us with choices and opportunities, but can also bring fear or unease. It marks a line between the firm ground of certainty and the shifting waters of new states and possibilities.

When we find ourselves at the boundary of the new and unknown, we usually pause, at least for a moment, to asses what we might be stepping into. Sometimes the shift feels like too much of a challenge and we might prefer to stay on the firm dry earth of certainty. We plant our feet firmly and refuse to move forwards. Learning how to cross these boundaries with confidence can allow us to grow and expand our awareness, and prevent us becoming stuck in old outdated patterns.

At other times we might plunge in happily, full of excitement and expectation. Usually when life has been going well and has been fairly predictable, crossing into the unknown will feel like an exciting adventure. However if life has been throwing us some unforeseen curve balls, crossing the boundary of the known will feel far more of a challenge, and might even be met with a refusal. How are you feeling about the edges of the unknown in your life at the moment? Are you ready to get your feet wet and allow your world to expand?

Find more about boundaries at this weeks WP photo challenge.

Posted in change, thoughts, weekly photo challenge | Tagged boundaries, change, edges, growth, life, mindfulness, photography, postaday, psychology, self, spiritual | 36 Comments

Autumn Balance

Posted on September 30, 2015 by greenmackenzie

The Equinox has come and gone, and yet summer light lingers on in soft warm pools. Shimmering within translucent pink petals, and in long streaks between the shadows. The light is low and long, reaching in and below awareness, touching surprising angles, and all the time winter is hovering at the edges. In the mornings the light is too thin to keep the mist and frost at bay, and slowly the summers flowers are falling into decay. Look closely and you will see the unraveling edges of the year, and yet in the full bright light of midday, summers beauty still holds sway.

The bees and butterflies stumble on between flowers, nectar drunk beyond caring that the balance of the year has tipped. Drinking in this dream laced light we might forget too, that winter is brooding within the dark heart of the deepening shadows. She is patient and can wait for this last flurry of petals and perfume. But the balance has tipped and there is more darkness than light in the day, and we lit candles last night for the first time since Spring. All good things must come to an end, to make way for the next wave of beauty and change, but just for a week or two it’s as though we have held off the turning of the year. Lost in a dream of endless summer light…..

…..we almost forget that we need balance. To dip into winters darkness sweetens the growing light of spring to come. Like the flowers we can regather our energies and reserves as we turn inwards into winters quiet space to think, emerging refreshed and ready to grow again once winter passes. The balance lies in the soft steady rythm of the change. Can you embrace the balancing act or will you resist?