We’ve been reflecting on the idea of zen (small “z”) (largely because we recently launched zen garden retreats). Our understanding of zen is that it is another interpretation of “The Way”, that is to say “how the universe works”, which relies on a description of the universe. There is also zen behaviour which refers to …
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Author:astraea
Enjoy Life in the Zen Garden
When is a garden not a garden? When it’s a zen garden. So, what is a zen garden? Well, in a broad sense a garden is simply nature that’s been managed by people for amenity. There are many styles like formal, wild, traditional, cultural, physic or therapeutic, landscape, forest and so on. There’s even the …
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When Virtues Are Sins
Have you heard of the seven deadly sins? Can you list them? Many of us have heard of them but can’t list them. They are pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. They sound a bit antiquated and somehow resonate with medieval vices decried by angry preachers … Nevertheless they are behaviours that most …
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Happy 26th Anniversary to astraea! An update on System Change…, and a Quiet January Retreat in the Mediterranean
astraea turns 26 today. Happy birthday! It’s a bittersweet anniversary. astraea’s vision is to show the big picture to understand our place with, and within nature. From this flows everything else – our ability to thrive, liberate our highest potential, and find joy. We saw the growing need for system change, and changed our own …
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The Roaring ’20s – 2020s or 1920s?! How crazy is it?
What on Earth is going on? That’s the refrain that’s been building to a crescendo over the past weeks. Lack of accountability seems endemic to authorities in Western nations where countries like USA, UK, Germany, who once purported to be the good guys, have let down all pretence and are incautiously decimating systems that people …
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I’m a Revolution, Are you?
With thanks to Joy Oladukun and Maxo Kream and other contributors. [Verse 1]Why is it the darkest nights always make the stars so bright?Why’s it take a sacrifice to say someone deserves a life?Why is it the smallest voice has to make the loudest noise?How long you gonna make the choice to see the fire …
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More equitable alternative
(Extract from Sharon Ní Chonchúir‘s article We ditched our desk jobs to spend more time in nature — here’s why in the Irish Examiner 6 September. Tom Butler of Ballin Temple, Nurney, Co Carlow: ‘I’ve paid a financial price, but I’m a nature guy.’ Picture: Michael O’Rourke Tom Butler from Ballin Temple in Carlow describes …
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Mother
Without mothers we are nothing. We come from our mothers and we know that. (Sometimes even our mothers don’t know who the father is.) For the gift of life we should be grateful to our mothers every day. We are drawn to our mothers, even though we might argue with them. We start our existence …
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Private property should be abolished…
Following below is Helena Sheehan’s speech to the Trinity College Dublin Philosophical Society debate on whether private property should be abolished. It carried the day. It is helpful in framing an awkward, ignored yet important cultural issue on the nature of property ownership and it’s impact on equity and justice in our legal systems. Dr …
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Goodbye Superpower
Although it was expected, it was a shock to wake up to the impending results of the Presidential election in the USA which prove again the primitive values of our world. America is considered by a majority of people to be the world leader since the Second World War, during it which it supported Germany …
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