Every so often, a number of synchronies take place, that lead to a beautiful unfolding leaving us filled with the wonders of discerning reality. St Ethelburgas Centre for Reconciliation and Peace was the venue where an evening of Songs, Stories and Inspiration with Empty Hands Music was hosted by Wake Up London. Nestling between the high rise towers of the Financial district of the City of London, St Ethelburgas is an oasis of peace in the busy City. Rebuilt after destruction by the IRAs Bishopsgate bomb in 1993, the 15th century Centre is a fascinating hybrid of ancient and modern, complete with a secret garden and the Tent. St Ethelburgas exists to transform conflict and division into new relationships and peaceful communities. Entering the iron gate that leads into the garden, one passes a Peace Pole, a low leafed archway leads into a paved secret garden with a meditation Tent, complete with stained glass windows depicting the word peace in various languages. Wake Up London, is a part of Wake Up, an active global community and movement that was founded by Thich Nhat Hanh in the Plum Village Meditation Centre, south-west France in 2008. We come together to practice mindfulness in order to take care of ourselves, nourish happiness and contribute to building a healthier and a more compassionate society. The path leading from the street into the garden was sprinkled with rose petals, lanterns perforated with heart shapes lit the walkway. Offerings generously made by attendees, of food and refreshments, graced the tables in the reception area. Scented candles filled the air of the Nave, the venue space with high ceilings and arched stone walls. As people entered, they were invited to write an act of kindness they had done on a card with an Empty Hands watermark image and attach it to a line with a tiny wooden heart peg. Small branches adorned with butterfly bookmark quote cards, organza leaves and tiny fairy lights emanated an ambience of being in Wonder-land. As people walked in and took seats either on cushions on the floor or chairs, there was a palpable feeling that filled the air with an anticipation that something magical and beautiful was about to take place. Various artists from the Wake Up London Community contributed songs and stories around some of the themes embodied in Nimos music, each artists words stemming deep from their hearts. What was truly amazing was the ease with which each contributor had connected their story and song effortlessly with the themes of Nimos songs, even before meeting and without rehearsals... a harmonious coming together of like-minded souls with no intention other than to share themselves and plant seeds of goodwill. Like all other events that took place in London, leading up to the gathering, people who had RSVPed were invited to carry out 7 Acts of Kindness in the spirit of kindness and generosity which Nimo is sharing on this pilgrimage. Some beautiful ripples of kindness were shared: giving the cashier at the health shop a box of chocs, writing gratitude cards, offering handmade wisdom scrolls to the community, receiving a pirate hat with drawings from a little girl, 7 days of Hugs... the ripples continued flowing and as Elina shared, why only 7 days? ... the kindness continues flowing one small act at a time and the FB group page where people shared has now been changed to Acts of Kindness. Combining the spirits of Wake Up London and St Ethelburgas with that of Nimo and Empty Hands Music, cultivated an evening that was filled with beauty for our eyes, for our ears, for our sense of pure serenity, for our hearts and souls to be nourished with the inspiration that poured from every note, word and lyric.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 22:08:03 +0000
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