Linda Holman

  "There is a voice that doesn't use words. Listen."  - Rumi. While I was staying at the cabin I had lots of time to sit and stare, to think, and to not-think and just listen to the feelings and ideas that arise in the absense of distraction - in the quietude. It is my favourite part of being there and I wish I could bring that state into my "normal" life more often, but that's a topic for another blog.  I have always been drawn to religion in general and Buddhism in particular, completing a degree in Religious Studies (and Art History) about 15 years ago. But I've never felt able to dedicate myself to one religion in particular, I appear to have some form of commitment phobia when it comes to my spiritual life! I struggle to see past human involvement in the divine as it is reported to us, and I don't think any one system of belief or ethics can apply to all humans.  But I've always said that if I HAD to pick one, I'd go for Buddhism. I like...

  "Not all who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien. Last month I had a little adventure followed by time at a retreat centre, and it felt to me like the perfect balance. I love my life, am grateful for what I have, yet still I get so energised by being in new places and stepping outside of the everyday ordinary routines. There's something about a trip away that opens me up to all the wonder and joy of our world and increases my ability to think in new ways about how to live my life and spend my time.  Driving north to the centre, I took a couple of nights to stay in a town I've never stayed in before and then in a city to visit with friends. The weather made driving on the first day pretty scary, with rain coming down so hard I had to pull over, but I made it in one piece and filled my cup with new views and old friends. Then on to Hobbiton, which I loved, and then to Sudarshanaloka, where I had five nights in a forest cabin in delightful solitude.  Driving up to the ...