Compassion is just everything! It has the power to transform our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and our overall relationship with ourselves, others and the world around us. Thich Nhat Hanh has described compassion as the ability to recognise the physical, material, and psychological suffering of others, to put ourselves “inside the skin” of the other. He speaks of the mind truly being present when it is effective in removing another person’s suffering and the need to nurture our compassion. Paul Gilbert, author of The Compassionate Mind defines compassion as having sensitivity to the suffering of others and the self with a commitment in trying to alleviate and prevent it. I consider compassion to be at the centre of one of the most profound values needed for all beings on this earth. It is there to be cultivated in order to survive, thrive, love and ultimately be our most authentic and beautiful selves in this journey that we call life.
Coral is my favourite colour. For me it symbolises warmth and mystery. It is not quite pink, red or orange, but it speaks to me! There is room for curiosity and attention to detail needed to see the colour for what it is or how it reflects in certain lights. It also has another meaning of the coral in the sea. For me this provides images of blue waters, a rainforest of the sea, the depth that the sea brings, ecosystems, beautiful fish that swim near and also home, a habitat. It feels uplifting and to me and highlights life that needs conservation, love and care in order to protect this beautiful part of planet earth. I feel this is something that can be transferred to ourselves and as a result to others. This blog aims to bring the meaning of these two to life through written pieces, images, poetry and more.
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