Love Letters . ֎
Dear Earth, are we a cancer?
On 15th January 2020 by SatyaThe word is so loaded with anguish and dread, I hesitate to use it. And yet, we people have been likened to a cancer on your body, dear Earth, and the metaphor makes sense. We have plundered your resources, exterminated other species, and duplicated ourselves into craziness. I’d rather think of Others as the plunderers,
Love Letters . ֎
Dear Earth, I was awake in the night.
On 14th January 2020 by SatyaAfter a heated conversation I was stuck awake with my brain fizzing until 3 a.m. Either that, or it was the big chocolate caramel brownie, and I’d rather give up triggering conversations than sugar so… I was triggered into a complicated combination of thoughts and feelings, including whether I was safe, and whether I was
Love Letters . ֎
Dear Earth, why bother?
On 11th January 2020 by SatyaThis morning I gave a talk here at the temple called ‘Introduction to Buddhism: Why Bother?’. In it I explained why I (sometimes) prioritise spiritual practice over watching Netflix. Life is often a whole lot of bother. Most of us are already stretched. It would be better for you, dear Earth, if I made my
Love Letters . ֎
Dear Earth, we tie ourselves in knots.
On 8th January 2020 by SatyaWe have a furry blanket to snuggle under when watching TV, and when it’s not over our knees we fold it and rest it on the back of the sofa. Roshi, pictured, has deemed this a fine place for a morning nap. This reminds me of butterflies, charging up by spreading their wings and basking
Love Letters . ֎
Dear Earth, I am not the forest.
On 7th January 2020 by SatyaFrom here I can see the buds on the naked magnolia tree. They tip every branch like a frozen flame – silvery white, small, quiet. Each of them is busy gestating a single bloom. I’d love to be the whole tree. I’d love to exude all that sweet perfume. I’d love to be frothy with
Love Letters . ֎
Dear Earth, gently does it.
On 6th January 2020 by SatyaToday is my last day off before work begins again. As usual, parts of me have ambitious plans for the year. Become super-rich-and-famous, single-handedly save the world – that kinda thing. My word for 2020 has been travelling with me – a constant companion in a way no previous word has been. It crouches delicately
Love Letters . ֎
Dear Earth, what six things do you need from us in 2020?
On 1st January 2020 by SatyaOne. You need us to enjoy you. You need us to lean into your soft brilliant mosses and watch the flamingo-pink cyclamen pirouette up from your dark skin. You need us to be wowed by your star-blanket and your talking trees and your luminous deep sea creatures. You need us to know that your raindrops
Love Letters . ֎
Dear Earth, I’ve got a New Year’s gift for you.
On 29th December 2019 by SatyaI’m going to offer you a daily pause. Rituals contain magic. They don’t have to be complicated. There are only two rules – that they are repeated over and over, and that they are inspired by love. I already have a daily nembutsu practice – ten minutes of calling out to the Buddha of Infinite
Love Letters . ֎
Dear Earth, help me to give up resolutions.
On 28th December 2019 by SatyaI’ve always been a sucker for self-improvement schemes. I have hope that if only I was cleverer, a tad more famous, a little bit thinner (etc.) that life would be perfect. This means I get strong urges to better myself, especially at this time of year. There’s nothing wrong with aspirations. If I didn’t have
Love Letters . ֎
Dear Earth, my word for 2020 is…
On 19th December 2019 by SatyaGentle. The gentle of my cat’s soft paw when he places it on my cheek in the mornings, patting me awake. The gentle of tucking a sweet-pea seedling into the duvet of the earth. The gentle of receiving sharp anger, hot jealousy and abysmal mistakes with sweet tenderness. You know gentle, darling Earth. You know