By Bernie Bell

 The Ring of Brodgar on Sunday, 15^th of November 2020, and a fine, sunny day for the last day of Diwali – Festival of Light – and so,  a good idea more than ever to focus on light in our lives.

 We drove along to the main Brodgar car park, and walked up to The Ring, where we encountered Jeanne https://artworksoftheearth.com/about-jeanne-bouza-rose/ , who has set herself a – what to call it?  Not a task, not a project.  It’s something she is doing, to try to counter-balance the negativity in the world today. A pilgrimage?  An exploration – in a place and of herself?  A spell?  

Starting on the 1^st of November, she means to walk round the Ring of Brodgar every day, touching each stone, with thoughts of healing, light, calm and harmony for the world, and in particular, for America.

Jeanne herself describes it as  “a political statement in time for the USA elections.  The rest is protect friends and family, thank you, and after the election I keep repeating the protect friends…and added…may gratitude, hope and goodness prevail…thank you thank you thank you.”

She’s also been doing a set of paintings at The Ring, painting out-doors in all weathers. I hope that she will put her words, ideas and images together, and present them to the world.  A GOOD THING!

The following Monday, I was thinking about Jeanne’s concerns about America, and I emailed this to her…….

“Trump has gone.  His followers remain.

But – a lot of them aren’t thinking people and have lazy minds.  They will subside back to sitting on their sofas, stuffing their faces etc. They’ll go to bars, have  a few beers with their buddies, and ‘put the world to rights’.  Otherwise they ‘ll go back to sleep.  I could go on and on, but I’ll just use one, glaring example of what I mean.

The rise of Hitler to power in Germany before the 2WW, and what happened there leading up to the 2WW.  In a different time and situation, those people would have just – gone to work, eaten their dinners, lived their lives.Those kind of times bring out the worst, and the best in people.  Then, take away the focus of the ill-will, and …….the populace go back to sleep-walking through life again.

There will still be some head-cases who will still be active in their ill-nature, but that is so in any society, at any time.

Yesterday, I got the impression that you are quite despondent about the next step for America.  I’m not saying it’ll be sunshine and roses all of a sudden, but history does show that that is how people are – how societies are.

Left to themselves, the populace just muddle along.  However, produce a certain kind of situation, and bad and good will surface which would never have emerged, otherwise.  Take away the focus of that situation and its accompanying ill-will, and they’ll go back to bumbling along.

One more example – the partition of India and Pakistan, and what Hindus and Muslims did to each other then (look it up, if you don’t know about it!).  Hindus and Muslims have age-old differences, but, mostly, they just live their lives – as they do now.

During partition – horrors.

Diwali has just ended for this year – let the light in. Continue your Brodgar spell.  Touch each stone, with thoughts and words of harmony and light.

That’s a good spell.

Namaste.

B”

Jeanne’s response…..

“I am not despondent….but concerned and know that it won’t be right for a long time.  I am not blindly over the moon. I am exceedingly pleased and happy but again, I am guarded, yes, that is the word.”

I asked jeanne was it OK with her to share this idea with people, hoping that maybe more folk would take on this idea of balancing the negativity in the world, with positive, kind, loving thoughts.

Jeanne, she said “yes”, and …here it is……….. light in darkness at this time of year……..