Finding Peace Amid Chaos: Life Lessons from a Stevie Nicks Concert and Other Events

What happens when the magic of music collides with the harsh realities of the world? Join us for a heartfelt episode where we recount the profound life lessons and emotional experiences sparked by a Stevie Nicks concert. From her stirring tribute that moved an entire audience to tears to the unsettling news of an attempted assassination we explore the delicate balance between moments of beauty and the darker side of human nature. Unpacking these events, we delve into the importance of consistency and effort in both artistic and personal achievements, sharing how daily practices like yoga and a healthy lifestyle can help you stay grounded, even on the toughest days.

Seeking a moment of tranquility amidst the chaos? This episode also offers a guided meditation that invites you to connect with nature and find inner peace. Imagine yourself sitting comfortably, visualizing a tree swaying gently in the breeze, and allowing the calming imagery to clear your mind. 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:38

Today is a drizzly day, post-england, losing for the second time in the final of a major tournament. However, what an achievement to get into two finals. So I got to see Stevie Nicks in concert, so that was really magical. She did a tribute to some of her friends and she was able to transmit that emotion, what she's feeling, to the audience. So I looked around and literally everyone was was crying at landslide and it was very moving and it felt like you were part of something really special. And then I travelled and then I awoke yesterday to the news that someone had tried to assassinate Donald Trump.

Speaker 1: 1:37

People have also tried to kill Ronald Reagan, and I'm sure there's been many more. Kill one of reagan, and I'm sure there's been many more, both the kennedys, etc. And this one, and also all those famous people that mysteriously died in the 60s and 70s and just think, gosh, like if you know, there's gonna be so many people that we don't agree with, and like I'll have different political views to us or maybe we have the same political views, but either way, you know, it's going back to the dark ages if the result is to shoot at each other rather than taking the whole of everyone's different views. And I think the secret to life is to have love and compassion to all, even those that we do not feel any kind of connection with. I feel that killing someone or trying to kill someone, you know, like they killed the amazing Martin Luther King, etc. And I find that people can be really horrible to each other. But if we go back to this, resorting to violence, then we might as well go back to the Dark Ages, and it's just quite saddening. So, as I recorded this earlier, for some reason as well, a big section of the sound didn't work, but I'm one of those people that don't believe in coincidences, so maybe I was supposed to record it again. Um coincidence, so maybe I was supposed to record it again.

Speaker 1: 3:06

Equally, I'm not that whimsical that I believe that every time there's a sign that that's that's the way it is, and to leave everything to fate, because that's losing away a bit as well. It's about a happy balance, making educated choices on what signs you see in life and also how and why and where you want to conduct yourself. So, getting back to the form of art, because that's what I was originally going to talk about and that's what inspired me by listening to Stevie Nicks in concert, etc. And then I had a big reflection on the artists that came before us and how artists and everything seems to work and, going off my own personal journey, and I've always feel like it's consistency is the key. So consistency, consistency, consistency and balance between consistency and having fun.

Speaker 1: 3:56

But you know, if you're trying to create some sort of masterpiece, be that artistic or scientific, etc. Nothing's going to change if you don't put the effort in. And don't get me wrong, some days I roll out my yoga mat and I really don't want to do it. I really don't want to do it. It's just like, oh, do I have to kind of do this? But I know that if I completely miss days in a row, then I'm kind of going to lose the ability to do things and as you get a bit older I've found things are harder anyway. So it's about getting myself moving. So if I roll the yoga mat out, it's just like I can either just sit there and do nothing, which is kind of like boring unless I'm meditating, of course or I can make the effort to do it. So on the days I don't feel like doing it, I won't do a big practice, I'll do a shorter practice, but then some days I feel like doing a really big practice.

Speaker 1: 4:51

And I think that's the same with art, dreams and how we go for things, and consistency is the key. If you look at all the great people in the world and you don't have to become famous to be a great person there's many small acts that have confounded amazing effects on this world and you know, being famous isn't the be-all and end-all. Imagine not being able to walk down the street or go anywhere without being mocked by people and perhaps you might be enticed to like it for a while. But I'm sure after a while you'll be fed up because you want to get something from the shop but you can't go. So you have to either send someone or and then you have to hire people etc. Because you just can't do normal things. And I'm sure some days it'll be nice to know that other people can do stuff for you. But equally I'm sure that you want to just do some normal stuff for. But getting back, I'll digress a bit.

Speaker 1: 5:47

But getting back to my point, it's all about creating these beautiful, amazing habits and sometimes pushing ourselves a little bit when we don't feel like doing something, then we find that we really enjoy it, like I never regret going to a yoga class and I never regret when I've been eating healthy or go for a walk, etc. I do regret if I've just sat down and not done anything and not had a productive day. I also regret when in the past and not so much now when I used to work so hard that I didn't get the moments to enjoy the day. I was kind of moving at a slightly slower pace these days, but equally I couldn't just sit around and do nothing all day and I wouldn't achieve anything. And I find that with the art form of my writing it's uncomfortable. It is revisiting it after several decades. It's kind of feeling, or at least it feels like it's several decades. It might not be quite as long as that, but it is a difficult process because I'm rusty and it's like, oh, I could just say, oh, I'm no good anymore. But no, I'm finding that as I, as I dive into that, pull back anything that's stopping me from being there, that I can find myself, be myself and in turn, inspire others. And I open up to you what inspires you. Like.

Speaker 1: 7:19

This weekend was a lot to unpack with the concert and then hearing about the violence in America and then England losing in the football and also having a lovely day in the garden. So it was all kind of the spectrums of the emotions and it made me to learn that life is always in movement, it's always in flux and it's times when we learn to be and and times when we feel alive. And we only find those moments by pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones and by saying and sending love and compassion even to those who we do not see. Eye to eye with, those that we don't agree with, those that we do agree with, and having the ability to not blindly follow another fellow human being, having the ability to trust at the same time, and the trust comes from you to decipher what you do and don't want to believe. It's just like when you have someone critique your work, which I always suggest. Having someone that you don't know critique your work, because friends and family may not always give you the most clear advice, and just because someone's critiqued your work in a certain way doesn't mean it's necessarily right. It doesn't mean they're wrong either, but it's finding that way to navigate through that and see the full picture and take on the bits that you want and discard the bits that you feel in your heart aren't right. So, dear listeners, your task for the next week is to notice how you feel on certain days, how that has inspired you and how that can help you on your journey through life. And I would love to hear from you at shamanichealingsearth, from the contact page shamanichealingsearth, and just let me know how you get on with this assignment.

Speaker 1: 9:13

And, as always, here is the meditation inspired by today's show. Top tips for the meditation is either sit nice and cross-legged on the floor with a nice straight back always nice to sit on a block or a cushion, or that's not available for you. You sit in a chair with the back nice and straight. The important thing is you're not slouching and if you're doing something that requires your concentration, all you need to do is just pause this and you can reconvene the meditation at a time that is good for you. If you're doing the meditation, let's begin.

Speaker 1: 9:48

So if you look at the tree in front of you either that is a physical tree or a tree that you've imagined after seeing in a book and you just have your gaze in one spot and you just allow that tree to move, you allow the branches of that tree, as you look at it, to move in the breeze, the reverberation as the wind hits against the leaves, casting a green and magical breeze like a sea in the air, and just think that wind is blowing away all your cares and you're. Allow yourself to be. Imagine that you're as perfect as can be, as beautiful as you are in the moment. Allow, allow and be. Watch as the leaves move and they dance and they sing and they prance in the wind and the gentleness of the breeze helps to illuminate a sense of ease within your being.

Speaker 1: 11:17

Perhaps today has been a little bit more difficult to navigate than other days. Meditation may feel a strain, but if you look at the tree, it can help. You feel this breeze, this sense of ease. As you inhale through the nostrils and you exhale and you let it all out. You allow yourself to be yourself, to be free within this moment. Allow yourself to be the greenery. Why it resonates with the sense of self-love inner love, outer love, love for others, love for ourselves.

Speaker 1: 12:02

Nature is so godly in the sense that it is beautiful, it is there, it is resilient. It's not that nature never has a care. Care, for it can be difficult for nature to navigate, who's eating who, who's feeding off who, but within it, nature is in the moment, nature is in the now. Nature is so beautiful, nature just knows how Can you be in line with that nature? Take a calming, deep breath and just allow yourself to gently listen to the tree as it moves so gracefully in the breeze. And if your mind pops off somewhere, don't despair. Just come back to the breath. Breathe deeply as you take in that tree. Bear, just come back to the breath, breathe deeply as you take in that tree, just allowing yourself to feel completely and utterly free. Allow, allow. Take a calming deep breath in and out through the nostrils as you inhale, exhale, as you slowly come back into the moment, come back into the room.