A cartoon
A thought
Do you listen to the Accidental Gods podcast? It has quickly become one of my favourite shows. Hosted by author
, she starts each show by saying; “Welcome to the podcast where we believe another world is still possible and that if we all work together we can lay the foundations of a future that we would be proud to leave for future generations”.I loved her episode with Leah Rampy: Earth and Soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Chaos with Leah Rampy.
Leah describes a beautiful Möbius strip meditation on grief that she leads, a tool to “prevent us drowning in an ocean of tears”. It is her answer to the question, when deep in grief how do we remember to keep other feelings alive - joy, awe and beauty?
The loss, sadness, joy and awe are all part of our reality. She asks people to take a narrow strip of paper and on one side write down all the things that you are grieving for. Then to flip it over and cover the other side with the things that bring you joy, delight and wonder. Twist and hook the ends together. “Take your finger and run it around, you cannot get off that mobius strip, there is no other side”. She suggests using it as a meditation tool where you can immerse yourself into whatever feeling is under your fingers at the time, and then move on, and then move on. Linger where you need to.
It also occurs to me that while your index finger may be touching sorrow, if you close your thumb on the other side of the strip, you will find joy or delight. Leah says you can make a strip for a general grief or for something very specific, like the loss of a loved one.
I’m looking forward to exploring Leah’s book: Earth and Soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Chaos.
Glimmers and sparks*
In full transparency I am having to reach deep to notice glimmers today - I am letting you know, so that you know life does not always feel like unicorns and rainbows and that is OK. It is days like these when the practice of noticing glimmers becomes valuable. I know they are there, my head is just buzzing and ignoring them. So here is what I have managed to find, sitting at my desk:
A cacophony of bird song leaking in the open door to my office.
First leaves and blossom on the cherry tree outside my window.
A quiet moment to sit in what has been a relentless week.
Li’l bean is your reminder to pause and ask: What are your glimmers for today?
From your friend and your small, steadfast companion,
*Drawing Li’l Bean helped me navigate out of a period of depression in 2023. A good friend 13, 595km away, helped, too, through a ritual of swapping daily glimmers via text.
A glimmer is a tiny spark of hope, enthusiasm or joy that lifts your heart. By helping me find three glimmers each day, she gently helped me see the joy and beauty already around me.
I’d like to share this practice with you and invite you to reflect on your glimmers for the day when you read this. Think of Li’l Bean as a reminder to notice the glimmers and sparks in your life. We’d love it if you would like to share your glimmers in the comments or by hitting reply (if you don’t like sharing publicly).
Thanks L’il Bean. I will try that Möbius strip of grief. I like that it’s a reminder of what makes one happy too. Sorry it’s hard for you today. The birds are always my glimmer of hope. They are busy today, courting I think.
If I’m feeling down I will often walk up to the shop, buy some milk and talk to whoever is on duty. I’ve had some profound moments in that shop - three of us cried and hugged each other about the state of the world last week, the shop owner wiping her tears on the edge of her big apron. Made me realise I’m not alone in my grief. And it’s OK.
I like that idea that just as trees communicate with each other through their rootlets, or is it their mycelium, humans communicate similarly to each other. We watch each other intently and often know how the other is feeling without talking about it. Maybe it’s the zeitgeist? So I’m intent on loving my fellow humans and adding good vibes to the zeitgeist to support us all. In the shop I had the distinct feeling that I was not alone. There were 3 of us intent on sending out love and this is replicated all over the place. It’s infectious in a good way!
So after such a long answer, my glimmers are the birds, human kindness and how that kindness becomes the prevailing emotion, if there’s enough of us doing it.
Take care, Susan
I love this. It shows us without one side there could not even be the other side.