It was a beautiful day yesterday. In the morning I was out early, climbing our scaffolding tower to get to the upstairs windows. At the level of the trees' canopies, I was applying filler to the gap between the new windows and the wall. The wind made the trees speak to me as I worked.

In the afternoon, I celebrated Lughnasadh with the Hawk of the Chase Grove. Our ceremony was held outside, and the organisers created a stunning harvest altar at the centre of our circle. Here, also, the trees were speaking to us. And the Sun drenched it all with his powerful light as he starts his journey into winter.

As we sang the Awen to end our rite, though, we remembered sorrow as well. A woman in the circle asked for blessing for her son with severe learning difficulties who has been having a challenging time. And we sent peace to the people of Gaza who are suffering so much. Woven into the joy of this harvest time, and any time, is the sorrow of our world.

These days, as I am working to find joy in the everyday while doing so much physical work on our project, shocking reports in the news can really get me down. Gaza is the most striking one at the moment, but there are so many more. I believe that I am affected by this because I love the world. It is an inevitable consequence. But at the same time, remembering and strengthening that same love will make me more resilient and help me heal.

For all you wonderful people who love our beautiful world and are affected by its sorrows, I would like to share a little extract from my free course, The Magic of Connection. It is a simple practice of listening to a being who lives near you. A little bit of magic for every day to soothe the soul. Try it. See what happens.

Who is with you?

Breathe . Feel life flowing through you with each breath. Feel the Earth beneath you, holding and supporting you. Look around you. Who shares this life, this place with you?

Breathe with the Mother Earth. Feel your roots relaxing into the soil beneath you. Feel them radiate out, stretching, holding you tightly to the Earth. Breathe with your roots, rest in them. Trust that you belong in this place, as much as the trees, the grass, the flowers surrounding you.

Now choose a being that is rooted and breathing near you. Just hold it gently in your gaze. Notice how this being uniquely expresses the life of the Earth that it grows from. Let it dazzle you with its beauty.

Now allow your roots to put out a tendril, a tiny thin extension that touches the roots of this fellow being. You will know when you're there. Just breathe out, relax, and let yourself stretch out to that plant being. What does it feel like when your roots touch? Stay with that feeling. Breathe it. Breathe with your kin, rooted together in the mother.

When you are ready to finish, pull back your roots to a comfortable distance from your body. Feel yourself as separate again. Breathe from your centre. And gently return to your day.

Connecting to other beings like this is a beautiful and healing practice. With time, we become more strongly rooted in the Earth, the mother we depend on for our lives and livelihood. As we do so, we feel more connected to her and to all our brothers and sisters for whom the same is true.

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The Magic of Connection has seven more steps that build into a powerful meditative practice. It gently heals you from disconnection and hopelessness – I know because that's what it's done for me.

The practices from the Magic of Connection are also a great foundation if you want to learn more about making ritual. The Ritual Toolkit course develops these basics into tools for creating your own personal rituals.

People who have completed The Magic of Connection automatically get a 30% discount on Ritual Toolkit. If that sounds good to you, sign up for The Magic of Connection here.

For more information about Ritual Toolkit, click here.