069 Lower Your Drawbridge

Jul 9, 2020

As we continue to come out of lockdown and attempt to rebuild a new normal, how do we avoid slipping into old habits?

Amazingly, 800 years ago, St Francis of Assissi had some pretty insightful wisdom about what to do as you come away from crisis, he should know, he led his followers through many times of both invasion and crisis, surprisingly, the following points are still as relevant today ….

1. Kindness and generosity – a spirit of service and non-materialism.
2. The strength of community in forging new shared pathways towards a more fulfilling life in times of challenge.
3. Love for and nurturing of nature.
4. Simple and fresh food, with occasional fasting.
5. Supporting the roles of women as compassionate and wise leaders, as embodied in St Francis’s elevation of the role and influence of St. Clare, his childhood friend.
6. A sense of our place in the universe – a celebration of the sun, the moon, and the stars – taking our daily focus to a level beyond the everyday to our place in creation. Transcendence of the mundane is a time-proven means of generating peace and mental well-being.
7. Meditation as a means to achieve and grow this experience.
8. Transcendent music as a means of elevating the heart and soul.
9. Rebuilding the church, as Francis’s visions guided him to do, according to the fundamentals of Christian teaching: love, forgiveness, simplicity, and care for the poor and disadvantaged.

Renewal is the opportunity that arises from crisis and these fundamentals, all supported by science as the pillars of mental well-being, will serve us well!

Copyright 2020 Pipa Gordon