It has been an intense year so far; politically and in my own life. Brexit seems to have dominated the country's consciousness, giving the fabric of our lives a tension and unease, whether we are engaged in it or not. And running underneath everything is the continual threat to the health of this planet.
Personally, my dear mother who is 92 with Alzheimer’s, has had a stroke, thus limiting her already diminished life, and deeply frustrating and frightening her. However she is a strong woman with a profound inner life, and is still managing to engage with her family and surroundings even as her independence ebbs away, and her mind unravels.
I have finished my book; The Compassionate Heart, and am currently waiting for the publisher and printer. More details will follow as soon as it is ready.
In January I gave a talk at The Isbourne Centre in Cheltenham about my journey from Actress to Spiritual Teacher, and since then I have been meeting once a week with a small but committed group there.
This year has also opened up Hawkwood College for my work, which is a beautiful, sustainably run estate in the countryside outside Stroud. They kindly invited me to take a day’s retreat, which I’m happy to say went extremely well. I had no idea what could be accomplished in one day, but the group were willing and ready to journey very deep and we shared a profound time. I look forward to more at Hawkwood in the future.
Another powerful group has emerged from my own retreats, to take the work further, and we had our 2nd retreat before Easter. We look forward to the third one later in the year. Meanwhile the experienced group are about to meet again for our 5th retreat, and we are going to try a new place near the New Forest. This group is a shining light leading the way for this work, and I am really looking forward to it. Thankfully the wonderful Liz Kirk, who helps me enormously with these retreats, is travelling up from Cornwall to run it with me. She has just moved into her first home and is likewise extremely busy with life.
And finally there is another 1st retreat coming up in July, with some lovely new people, back at our usual retreat centre in Dorset…