A Time to Retreat - Steve Taylor's Newsletter

Published: Tue, 12/22/20

Steve Taylor's December Newsletter

Dear

I hope you are well. I wanted to send this newsletter out before Christmas so that I could wish all the best for the festive season. This year is very different to normal, but in some ways the restrictions most of us are living through at the moment may help to make this time of year more contemplative and restful than normal. There is certainly some stress and anxiety for many of us, but winter has always been a time for retreat and contemplation - a time to rest and regenerate, a time to turn into ourselves and reconnect, a time to step back and prepare to begin anew. And all of those qualities and opportunities are even more powerful this year. Christmas is the time of midwinter, when the days begin to lengthen again, and previous generations knew that the worst was over and spring was on its way. And just as the world comes back to life in spring, bursting with new life and light, I think our spirits come to life again too. After the retreat and contemplation of winter, our spirits burst forth with new vitality and optimism and creativity. So I'm sure that will be especially the case this coming year!

New Podcast and Meditation

I've also been living quietly over the last few weeks so I don't have many news items this month. However, I have just published a new episode of my 'Clear Light' Podcast. In this episode, I read my poem 'We are each other,' briefly discuss oneness and separation and then lead a meditation to cultivate a state of oneness. I also play the guitar at the beginning and end!

You can find it on Spotify here On Apple Music here

I also have a new meditation on my Insight Timer page. You can listen to it here

Extraordinary Awakenings

I'm pleased that after considering lots of other suggestions, my publisher has reverted to the title I originally wanted for my new book. So it's 'Extraordinary Awakenings' with the subtitle 'From Tragedy to Transformation.'

I sent the book to my publisher a few days ago, with some mixed feelings. It has been a part of my life for the past 8 or 9 months, so it's a little like a child leaving home. I perhaps feel a touch of 'empty nest syndrome' but at the same time I feel a sense of freedom. I'm really looking forward to its publication next year. The book has really been a collaboration with many amazing and inspiring people who have allowed me to tell their stories.

New Article in Psychology Today

I’ve written a new article about the illusion of national identity, and why our future as a species lies in transcending nationalism. Like the world itself, our most serious problems have no borders. The essay is autobiographical in the sense that the concept of being 'English' or 'British' means nothing to me, and I feel equal kinship with people of any nationality. You can find it here

New Poem on Gratitude

The other day I was giving my son a lift to his girlfriend’s, and we drove past a large cemetery in Manchester. I said to my son ‘Whenever I go past a cemetery, I feel like the dead are speaking to me.” “What are they saying?’ he asked. I replied, "They're telling us to grateful for every moment of our lives, and to do what we have to do, while we have time." It reminded me that when I was younger I used to love walking through cemeteries. I still do now, sometimes. So a few days ago I wrote a poem about this, which is a sort of condensation of all of the amazing experiences I've had while waking through cemeteries. I hope you enjoy it.

In the Cemetery

I walked through a cemetery this morning
in the clear winter sunshine, with the grass crisp and white.
I paused by the oldest, most weathered gravestones
straining to read the faded names and dates.
Then I found a corner of smooth pristine stones
whose inscriptions were painfully clear and fresh.

And amongst the thousands of unknown lives
from different decades and centuries,
I heard voices speaking in unison.
Softly but urgently, some of the dead seemed to say:

“If only we had known how fragile life is
we would have savoured each passing moment.

“If only we had known how temporary life is
we would have taken every opportunity.

“If only we had known how precious life is
we would have risen above pettiness, let go of resentment,
and lived with joy and love.

“If only we had known the meaning of life
while we were still alive
then we would have truly lived.”

There was no tone of regret or disappointment.
The voices were tender, like loving grandparents
sharing the wisdom of experience.

“And you can make amends for us,” I heard them whisper,
“By waking up in celebration every morning
and going to sleep in gratitude every night
and appreciating each moment in between;
by shedding your ego, so that you don’t waste your life
worrying and complaining and competing,
by finding the deepest light of your soul
and sharing it with the world.
We realised too late; we spent our lives asleep.
But you have the chance to wake up.”

And as I walked away from the stones, back to the path
the sunlight was incandescent but didn’t hurt my eyes.
It seemed to stream through me and charge me with its radiance.
The blue stillness of the sky seemed to permeate my mind
and fill me with spacious emptiness.
With each breath of cold air, I felt more inspired
and more and more alive.

And as I walked out of the cemetery gates
I was ready to begin my life anew.

All best wishes and blessings for the festive season, Steve