In former times it was customary to light a candle in the window as a signal to any passer-by that in that house there was a welcome. We, too, can mark the winter solstice and the return of light by choosing a few friends, or even strangers, with whom to reflect on the past year and what lies ahead, seated around a candle, perhaps sharing drink and a little food, then a quiet silence of reflection by everyone present.
Month: December 2024
Being there
One of the fruits of meditating is a greater tolerance of others. It sometimes happens, even with close friends, that one of them will suddenly turn on us, or seem to reject us. It is then all too easy to withdraw and break off the relationship – unless we learn to recognise that our friend is nearly always projecting onto us some problem of their own. All we need to do is bide our time, keeping the relationship open. As a former Abbess of Stanbrook Abbey once wrote, ‘What a mystery is friendship. Some we have to carry, while others carry us.’ This is what Jesus meant by inviting us to love our neighbour as ourself. We are all journeying men and women and need to be there for one another.