Journey of the Heart

As I can’t walk far, my husband sometimes takes me on a short trip to the coast (we only live around 20 minutes’ drive away). Sometimes I’ll want to visit one of our favorite ‘tame’ beaches where we used to walk our two dogs when they were younger. I have such beautiful memories from those trips: our black Labrador was an incredibly strong swimmer and would relish jumping over bigger and bigger waves to retrieve a tennis ball thrown in for her; the younger dog preferred to paddle along the shoreline, less confident in the deep water.  Then it would be time to go home, with the car smelling of damp dogs, snoring contentedly in the back. Simple joy that puts a smile on my face even now. I can still smell the salt air, and the damp dog in car smell; I can still see the sun glistening like diamonds on the sea; I can still hear the occasional airplane taking off from the nearby airport and heading out over the sea to America; I can taste the salt on my lips; I can feel the sand ingre...

In a Heart-Shaped Lagoon “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”  Aristotle The pull of the moon lures me into the heart-shaped lagoon: magical gateway  to the realm within. Stars of many colours gravitate around me and crystal-tinged moonbeams ignite and surround me in this baptism of light. Releasing her symphony  of earthly rays; her ethereal beauty  leads me astray. Yet I find myself  in this lost lagoon as stroke after stroke I swim in tune with the waters. Twirling with delight I ascend a cascade of lyrical light. Merging with peace witnessing such joy bathing in Her eternal seas of grace. ~ ( This poem comes from Anita's recently released book,   Rose Petals Floating Downstream , a collection of spiritual poetry to uplift the soul.   Centering  around 4 main themes: the natural world, the play of life, transformation and prayer/supplication, it echoes the spiritual ...

I was born into a God-loving Catholic family. We were brought up to believe in God, to be kind; we were taken to church every Sunday and other holy feast days. We followed the traditions of our religion like not eating meat on a Friday and saying our prayers at night before bed.  In my twenties, when other responsibilities and leisure activities took up my time, I decided I didn’t need God. I was happy as I was! Then―like everyone else—challenges beset me and I became angry with Him. I can look back now and shake my head and smirk a little at the childish ignorance and arrogance of the person I was in my youth. What was it Jesus said about those people who orchestrated his death, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”     For we are like children spiritually when we’ve turned away from Him. We end up not knowing how to live our lives and getting it all wrong in the process! I certainly wasn’t expecting to come back to God. I believed I was living a ‘g...

They say all good things come at a cost, and this was certainly true for me... Click here for book! I had a heart attack and ended up in hospital for a week in the run-up to the launch of  my newly published book, Acts of Kindness from your Armchair (Ayni Books, 2017), from which the following poem comes.  My brief stay in hospital, during which I had a multitude of visitors (I have a big family!) and the best of care, made me realize that there are so many people (and not just in hospital) who have no visitors and very little care. It made me think of loneliness and what a blight on our society it has become; it made me grateful for our national health service (which is free to everyone here in Scotland); it made me appreciate how easily we fundraise for sick children, but when do we remember to think of sick adults?    I’m so grateful for this ‘bump in the road’ which brought my own life back into focus and ignited another ray of compassion to grow within ...

Peace: Our hearts crave it. Our souls nourish it... Yet our bodies and minds crash through it, run roughshod over it and disregard its persistent, gentle call. We find peace in meditation; in moments of stillness when time evaporates; in our relationships when we let go of the ego’s demands to be right, to be in control. We find peace in fellowship, in encouraging sisterhood among us. In this divine sisterhood, we are the carriers of peace in this world.   My wish is that we beam this peace out to others with every step that we take; and smooth a loving, protective salve over all those in our path. For this world scarred by tragedy and crisis, let us counteract each moment of anger, mistrust, or hatred with the healing power of peace and love. We can collectively effect change from our hearts, from our thoughts, from our words and our acts through the embodiment of peace. Om. Shanti. Shanti. Shanti... The Wishing Well by Anita Neilson If I could: Wave a ...

I wrote this poem as a means of trying to express the enchantment that comes to me in times of peace and joy in deep meditation... This sometimes manifests itself physically in a tickling on the scalp or a subtle vibration all over the body, and it seems to me like being immersed in/under a rainbow of sound and light.  The image of the rainbow as a bridge between worlds (physical and spiritual) rings true for me, and I have even crossed a rainbow bridge in meditations to seek guidance.The peace and joy of meditation can be like a cocoon of hope reconnecting us to the Creator and to all others.  It has changed my life.  Under the Rainbow by Anita Neilson An enchantment through my scalp Like a rainbow emerging from Source Expanding and inspiring Those held under its dome. In this cocoon I am and was Lustrous threads of connectedness To all that is. In this world I observe the other – Beautiful, exciting, exhausting chaos. In this mo...

Today is Mother’s Day in the UK… I occasionally have tinges of sadness around Mother’s Day as I was not blessed with children this time around, when it seems that “everyone else” around me is receiving cards, flowers, gifts, breakfast in bed, and hugs and kisses from children and grand-children.   Once upon a time, however, in my early twenties, I was briefly pregnant. Some people believe that we can still be connected energetically with this other soul throughout our lives unless and until we release this soul. This is exactly what I did recently at a healing session. I was overwhelmed by the surge of emotion and loss, which unexpectedly took me over. It caught me by surprise, as I hadn’t given this event a second thought since it happened so many years ago. So I wrote the following poem about it, as I also reminded myself of all the blessings I have in my life. And comforted myself with the thought that I am learning newer and newer lessons every day. ...

I love getting up early before others in the house are awake... I can sit quietly with a cup of tea and experience the natural world waking up: the sky changing color and the birds calling to each other to signal the dawn.  It’s one of those cherished times of wonder in life.   Aurora is the Goddess of Dawn in Roman mythology. She is said to fly across the sky each morning in her chariot, to announce the arrival of the sun, wearing a purple cloak which trails in her wake. Perhaps this is why the Aurora Borealis and Australis were so named, since their light-shows in the sky look like colorful, billowing cloaks.  Legend and myth aside, we are so blessed to have this environment, tailor-made for us in every way, not by coincidence or happy accident. Many of us—especially those who are hyper sensitive—can become depressed by the many acts of evil or ‘natural’ disasters which occur on Earth, but let’s stop from time to time each and every day to appreciate the bea...