March 9th was Covid Reflection Day. This talk was given at an Iftar Dinner at the Brighton Centre last night. It was much shorter than I would have liked, but it certainly made us all think. The pandemic revealed that Her Majesty’s Government at the time of Covid 19 failed to tackle so many issues… including […]

Ten days ago I was browsing my website – Funeral Readings – and realised that the missing category was LGBT. So I decided to rectify this, but to do this I needed to check out what readings were available to the LGBT community. I skipped into Google, and there, near the top was something called […]

When we say ‘Mum’ it means something so different from ‘mother’. A mum is someone special, someone close to the heart. Bearing this in mind I had to write a funeral reading for a special mum, a mum above all others. I originally wrote this a couple of years ago, but I had to think […]

Think of the life and livesThat strolled through those daysCaptured in the bookRetold in 12 months There was one memory Surprising, kind or sweet –A good sparkDestined to light the future And you can kindle itBlow gently on the flameShelter it, wish it wellSo we can warm ourselvesWith that thought. Good or badHappy or sadSeek […]

I tend to write for purpose. It’s a hangover from my past when I worked as a journalist and copywriter. This prayer was written for a Winter Vigil. It pays homage to the spirit of the Tao and Winter. We give thanks for your mysterySeason of the North When you triumphWe slam the door,Turning againstYour […]

On October 15th The Interfaith Contact Group of Brighton and Hove held a peace vigil. It proved to be a beautiful and sad moment of peace: all sorts of loving messages of peace, and even songs were shared, along with long silences and candle lighting. I read a prayer, entitled The Four Points Peace Prayer, […]

For the past eight years I have been doing a radio slot on Sunday mornings – a 60 second sermon. The themes have varied greatly, from miracles to uncertainty. Today, the 1st of September, it had to be about autumn… and here it is: Today is officially the first day of autumn, an inspirational moment for […]

The BBC Maestro Poetry Course is great fun. It was created by the great Carol Ann Duffy. Not only does it remind one that the BBC is a seriously good thing, but even more wonderful, it encourages one to write poetry in a structured way. The first chapter dealt with memories.

Tonight we have a ‘friendship meeting’ about Work and Rest at the Baha’i Centre. For some strange reason I always associate rest — contemplative rest with looking up at the clouds. It is as if the clouds talk to us, and remind us of the wisdom of rest, peace and the beauty of meditation. There […]

Yes please, wake up and feel joy… but if you feel you can’t find joy… there are tricks and messages to your deepest self… that can make it happen. This is my recipe for waking up to joy. First of all check in. It’s morning, possibly… and you have just woken up. Time to ask […]