26 October 2019

Let It Be


The Dalai Lama is a wise old egg, he is the focus of Howard Cutlers book "The Art Of Happiness" and it is a really good read (well audible listen for me), it's the only book my husband has read since he left school - I am deliberately not including his car part books or magazines as literature seeing as they are three quarters images. The format is easy to read/listen to and is a combination of interview with and observations by Dalai Lama. What really resonates with me is how the Dalai Lama addresses modern issues and dilemmas using his Buddhist philosophy in his approach to resolving them.

His solutions sound simple enough but putting them into practice is far more difficult. When folk put you down, don't rise to the bait, let it be, forgive them, think of them with love and take it. His basic idea is that if you only react with love and forgiveness you will attain happiness. It is the reacting, retaliating, harbouring ill feelings and so on that make you unhappy. Others may think you a coward or a push over but that is on them and you aren't to pay attention to that perception of yourself. You are being strong by responding from a different place which is of love, compassion and understanding with forgiveness. You are letting go of any negative energies and that will lead to happiness.

Both myself and my husband are trying to put this philosophy into our daily practices and it is not easy to do at all but when you succeed you do feel so much lighter and happier. My mini internal dialogue runs at "let it be" when someone says something hurtful, critical or insensitive. Just very simply "let it be" and then "I forgive and love you". Not outwardly but just as a small inner monologue repeated throughout the day. The forgiving and loving is not just aimed outwards but inwards too, because non of us are faultless.

What I take away is that money and objects don't bring happiness but your relationship with the people and world around you can. It's about bringing harmony into your life, removing the toxicity of negativity and learning to appreciate the moment and the now. I would highly recommend this book, although I had to pick out the bits that made sense to me and just take on board the parts that didn't.


As many of you will know I am drawn to and practice the Wiccan Religion and Witchcraft, the philosophy I follow resonates quite strongly with many aspects of the Buddhist outlook and I include meditation into my practices as a way to reflect and find answers.

There are many misconceptions about my path but to be honest, that isn't on me, I own my decisions and spirituality and refuse to hide them from others who may be judgemental. I don't judge other people for their religious practices because it is non of my business, I just ask them to offer me the same courtesy.

The main focus of my belief is to live in harmony and balance with nature and our environment and to harm non within my practices. I do what I can to be open to others and supportive of them, however, energy levels mean that sometimes I have to retreat in order to heal myself and that renders me unavailable to be as present as I would like to be for others.

I am writing this blog whilst dosed up to the eyeballs on pain killers, it took me two hours to get out of bed and onto the sofa, unwashed and still in my pyjamas. Sometimes, that is all I have the energy to do. My little laptop helps with dictation and read back facilities and enables me to be present in the virtual world where I can't be in the real world.

"Let it be" I have to say to myself, this is a bad day but they aren't all bad days. Take it moment by moment and do what I can within each moment. There will be better days ahead, there always are and its how we perceive these days that matters. If you have a negative mindset then everyday will be a bad one, I seek the silver lining wherever I can, even when swimming within the depths of darkness, a chink of light will be there, you just have to keep searching to find it.

So, again I breathe, I inhale deeply,  exhale slowly and say to myself "Let it be, I love and forgive you".

Just hold on to and focus on living with love, forgiveness, honesty, compassion and empathy. We won't get it right every time, but with practice we'll get better.


~ Brightest 🖤 Blessings ~ 
 x~X~x

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