Steve Taylor's August Newsletter
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Dear
I hope you are all well and have been enjoying the summer (depending on where you are in the world.) I’m just back from a week’s holiday in Scotland. We stayed in a bungalow in the middle of nowhere, about 15 miles away from Dumfries. After we booked, we remembered that an ancestry search found that my great-grandparents were from the Dumfries area. We already knew
that my wife's grandfather was from there. So in a way it was a homecoming, and I did feel a strong sense of kinship with the area.
It was so calming to be surrounded by nothing but fields and hills. Most of all, I loved wild swimming, in the lochs. I feel completely at home in water, as if I’m exactly where I’m meant to me. One day we rented some bikes and cycled through a forest. We climbed down to a river and I went swimming in a rocky pool, and it felt so perfect to be immersed in water and
to look up and see the forest and the sky. Hearing the flow of the river and the breeze rushing through the trees, I felt timeless, as if I could have been ten thousand years in the past or the future.
We went with my three boys, who are aged between 12 and 18. They are very athletic and love sports, so it was a very active week. We counted that we did 9 different types of sport: cycling, swimming, canoeing, running, football, cricket, golf, bowls, plus yoga. I loved every moment of it!
Psychology Today Articles
About 10 years ago a friend recommended that I contact Psychology Today about writing a blog. They accepted me and two weeks ago I received a note from them to congratulate me that my articles had now been read 5 million times! It's definitely one of the most productive things I've been involved in. There are 163 articles there if
you're ever stuck for reading! Enough for a few books if I run out of other ideas...My latest article is about the quality of 'inwardness' which is the beginning of real happiness and of spiritual development. You can read it and my other articles here
Upcoming Events
I have a couple of events coming up in August. The first is on August 22nd, a free event based on my book The Clear Light – in fact, the last event based on that book, before I move on to events about my new book. The event is organised by Banyen Books in Vancouver, Canada. In the session, I’ll read pieces from the book and highlight aspects of spiritual awakening such as gratitude,
acceptance and dis-identification from the ego-mind, cultivating these through meditations, exercises and discussions, gaining contact with the spiritual essence of our beings. Although it’s free, you need to register for the event here
Healing Trauma Workshop
On 29th August, I’m talking part in one day online workshop on ‘healing trauma’ organised by the Weekend University. I’ll leading a two hour session on ‘The Psychology of Spirituality and Post-traumatic Growth,’ based on my book Extraordinary Awakenings. Further information here
New video
Last week I had a fascinating conversation with my fellow author and consciousness explorer, Anthony Peake, taking in so many interesting topics like evolution, panspiritism, time perception. I was mainly discussing my book Spiritual Science. You can watch othe video on Anthony's YouTube channel here
New Poems
As always when I’m not working on a non-fiction book, over the last few weeks or so I’ve been writing quite a few poems. I’ll share three of them here. The first one describes a spiritual experience I had in the woods a few weeks ago, similar to the one I had swimming last week in Scotland. There is a Japanese term ‘forest bathing,’ and that feels exactly what
walking in the woods feels like – bathing in beautiful rich, green pool. Let me know if you enjoy the poems!
Walking in the Woods
It always come back to me
when I walk into the woods:
the feeling of coming home.
Every cell of my body sparks to life
and says, “This is where we’re meant to be.”
The trees stand tall and strong, like guardians
offering me complete protection.
The murmur of the stream and the rustling of the leaves
are like a mother’s soothing voice
reminding me there’s nothing to worry about.
The flowers and plants that brush my legs as I walk
seem to linger for a moment, to touch me with affection
like old friends welcoming me home.
My inner being glows
with the same fresh radiance that fills the woods.
My mind becomes as calmly sentient as the trees.
My soul is rich and fertile as the soil.
My bones are as ancient as the stones.
It always come back to me
when I walk into the woods:
the feeling of being home.
And that’s why I always come back
Take Care of Your Inner Being
By all means take care of your house –
make sure it’s spacious and tidy
and full of your favourite objects
so that it can give you refuge from the world.
By all means take care of your body –
cherish your limbs and muscles and organs
and all the fragile precious processes
that take place inside you, to keep you alive and conscious.
By all means take care of your career -
choose a role that suits your skills
that channels your abilities and provides you with purpose
and brings you the gifts of success.
But a tidy spacious house won’t bring you contentment
if there is discontent inside you.
Your body alone can’t make your life positive
if your mind is filled with negativity.
Accomplishments won’t fulfil you
if there is emptiness inside you.
The perfection of the external world
barely touches us inside
like a wind that skims the surface of a lake
and passes by without leaving a trace.
Above all, take care of your inner being.
From time to time, turn your attention inside yourself
to check all is well, like a mother who checks on her child.
If your mind is restless, give it time to rest.
If your thoughts are busy, let them slow down and settle.
If your soul is wounded, give it time to heal.
Find the peaceful place, beneath your flowing thoughts,
where the radiance of spirit flows.
Then the perfection of the inner world
will flow from the depths of your being
and spread through the whole of your life.
And then you will be contented and fulfilled
no matter your situation
and no matter your surroundings.
Making a Mark on the World
If you want to make your mark on the world
don’t be brash and forceful
striving for success and power
collecting achievements and accolades
to impress as many people as you can.
If you want to make your mark on the world
live quietly and simply
attentive to the needs of others
and sensitive to their suffering
giving as much of yourself as you can.
The achievements of the ego pass away
like monuments that tourists gaze at admiringly
then quickly forget once out of sight.
But acts of kindness never fade away.
They never turn to memories that can be forgotten.
Souls absorb them, and carry them forever
as marks of trust and love.
All best wishes and blessings, Steve
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