Listen

By Flo Scialom

A poem inspired by a Spiritual Ecology Study Group via Adaya, and this essay by Martin Shaw.

Audio version here.

Listen 

For the echo 

Of the Earth:

Beyond the sirens howling

The engines revving

The busy tapping typers 

Rushing through to-do lists 

Forgetting life itself is a sacred gift.

Facilitating a Retreat for Inner and Outer Change

By Flo Scialom

I have a joke with some of those closest to me that I am often on a ‘natural high’. I don’t need any drugs, I can just tune into the beauty of the Universe, maaaan 😉 Truly, though, practices such as mindfulness help me to connect with a deeper sense of bliss, which help me to understand the world in a new way. 

We are all multifaceted, complex, interconnected beings – and we are all living through an intense transitional period in history. I believe discussions about this and related topics shouldn’t be confined to stoned rambles, but should be had in different ways every single day. 

Reflections on Ukraine

Poised at the space between, 

Suffering and a wish for peace,

Between sacrifice and receiving support, 

Standing steady on shaking ground, 

Staring into the truth of paradox. 

All that is solid can crumble in seconds, 

And your bravery is as clear as the many reasons for fear.

The Work That Reconnects: An Online Mini Course

By Flo Scialom

I love to practice mindfulness, but not “only” for myself. I’ve been on an (ongoing) journey in recent years to explore how mindfulness and inner transformation can help us in these wildly uncertain times of transition we’re living in. As part of this journey I’m excited to add an Events page to my blog here, and begin to step into facilitating more events in the coming year(s). Such as this one:

Inner and Outer Autumn

A poem by Flo Scialom – listen to the audio here

The seasons shift and change

Time again to rearrange

Listen to nature’s voice

Reminding us we have a choice

To live in tune with Her.

Breaking Down Motherhood Myths

Right now, extra pressure is being piled onto many women; a lot of evidence shows that Covid is setting us back decades in terms of gender equality, and that working mums in particular are among the hardest hit. In this context, it becomes even more important to challenge widespread motherhood myths and stereotypes that can damage women. 

Mindfulness for Busy People

Since becoming a parent I’ve had to condense my mindfulness practice into bite-sized chunks, but I’ve still found it powerful. I recently gave a talk summarising what I’ve learned which you can watch here.

Broken Fingernails – A Poem

I was inspired to write this poem by slicing through my finger in quite a visceral way; I hope this unwelcome experience may have something to teach me at least!

You can read the poem below and listen to it here.

——–

I was hanging by my fingernails

International Women’s Day

A poem for International Women’s Day, by Flo Scialom:

Light after Darkness: Mindfulness for Transformation

By Flo Scialom

We just passed through the winter solstice; the shortest day of the year, and also the turning point at which our days start getting lighter. And we could all really use some more light. Life feels hard right now, and I – like pretty much everyone I know – am experiencing a strong mix of emotions. 

Recognising difficult emotions is one thing mindfulness has helped me to do. This involves being with the emotion; not pushing it away because I should be grateful for what I have, or because others have it worse. These things are always true, of course, but this truth is hard to feel until I have also taken the time to sit with the truth of the darkness; the sadness, the frustration, the uncertainty.

Then, somewhat magically, through mindfully allowing the pain to be there, a sense of gratitude and compassion can (not always, but often) more genuinely become present. I feel deeply how much I have to be thankful for, and I truly want to do all I can to help others suffering. 

This is a process that I’m still learning; it is not linear, and it is part of a journey I feel will be lifelong. One thing that has supported me in this process throughout this rollercoaster year is deepening my mindfulness practice. I have done training courses (on Active Hope, Spiritual Ecology and Mindful Self Compassion), read more books on mindfulness and social justice (for example, by Rhonda Magee and Sharon Salzburg), attended and guided regular mindfulness events (for example, for the Festival of Discovery and a small but regular mindfulness for mums group), and I’ve also written a chapter in a book, kindly put together by my good friend, Shamash Alidina. 

The book is called Mindfulness for Transformation: A Collection of Stories for Compassion, Courage and Community (available for free on Kindle for the next few days). Mine is Chapter 24 in the book, titled Transforming Shame into Acceptance through Mindful Community. It shares a very personal story, which I feel vulnerable putting out into the world. But I humbly hope that my sharing may help others in some small way; to know they are not alone in struggling, to know that darkness can give way to light.

What we all need to know in this time of isolation is that we are not alone.