New Vision - July-August 2007

Editorial
Ra Knows - Life is Good.

'Ra' is probably the best known of the Eygptian names for the Sun, but actually there are no less than seventy five names or aspects. Every morning Ra emerges from the East from behind Manu, the mountain of sunrise, and begins His journey, lighting-up the whole sky. He travels in the manjet-boat or 'barque of millions of years'. From His position high up in the heavens, He can see clearly the reality and pattern of life. With such perspective, He can see that Life is Good and all is well with the world. However, deep down in the Nile lurks the serpent Apep who throughout the day and the night relentlessly pursues the beautiful Ra. During inclement weather it is thought that Apep had triumphed over Ra and even worse, that during a total eclipse, he has swallowed Him whole in His boat. But the good news is, Ra always triumphs over Apep and is thus able to continue on His daily journey.

Like all mythology, this picture of the essence of life itself, has something important to teach us about our own lives. Each morning, as the bright rays of Ra touch our tender eyelids, we awake and plan our journey for the day. Just like Ra, invariably it is a journey we have made many times before, and yet each day is different. As we step into our own chariots, be they cars, trains, bicycles or our worthy feet, we project for ourselves a 'plan' for the day. We may not be able to fill in the details, but invariably we have a rough sketch in mind. From the safety of our chariots, the 'ideal' of the day is laid down. If we are reasonably balanced people the day, at its start, is like a young shoot, green, Spring fresh and full of promise! How happy we are - how good life is! Gliding down the road in our chariot, as we turn right onto a main road, a car pulls out suddenly. Without warning, Apep rises up and we thump the horn or bell or raise a hand and mutter a few words of exasperation ...

Bosham House News

· Thank you, dear Rosemary
We are sorry to report that our dear friend and Trustee, Rosemary Darby passed away suddenly but painlessly on Easter Sunday, the 8th of April. Rosemary was deeply committed to the work of the Trust. You can read more about her and her exceptional life on page 5 of this issues.

· Farewell, dear Margaret
We wish to express a fond farewell to a dear member and friend, Margaret McClure, who passed into the Light on 17 March, at St Wilfred’s Hospice, Chichester. . Margaret suffered polio as a child and was to spend the latter part of her life in a wheelchair. Despite this difficulty she led a rich and varied life with her husband, Ralph. She traveled extensively in the UK in a car specially adapted for her to drive and she and Ralph spent many a happy hour sailing. Margaret lived the Hamblin ethos and was always cheerful and generous of heart. We shall miss you, Margaret. Our thoughts are with Ralph and their many friends.

· Meditation Sanctuary
As you will remember from the last issue, we now have all the necessary funding to go ahead with our vision of a Meditation Sanctuary in the grounds of Bosham House. We have recently ascertained that planning permission is required. However, it is anticipated that this will be straightforward. The site for the Sanctuary has been located betwixt a lovely oak and a beautiful Viburnum Opulus. This will be available for quiet times for anyone visiting Bosham House and for our monthly meditations.

· Goodwill and Support Fund
This is a Fund that many of you contribute to and which helps us with the day-to-day running of the Trust. We draw on it all through the year, but currently since August 2006 it stands at £3,435.88. Thank you for your generosity!

Farewell to Rosemary Darby, a dear Friend and Trustee of The Hamblin Trust

It is with love tinged with sadness that we announce the passing of our dear friend and Trustee, Rosemary Elizabeth Darby. Rosemary passed into the Light on Easter Sunday. She had spent a happy morning at Church and her passing was instant and painless. We give thanks to have known such a beautiful soul and for a life lived fully and vibrantly.

Rosemary became a Trustee of The Hamblin Trust in January 2004. She first came across HT Hamblin in 1973 and became profoundly influenced by his life and writings. Whenever an opportunity presented itself, Rosemary encouraged fellow seekers to hold the vision high and, as HT Hamblin said, ‘to think God’s Thoughts after Him’. Latterly, as Trustee, Rosemary was able to extend her positive influence further by actively promoting HT Hamblin’s books; supporting each member of the Hamblin team working at Bosham House and the pearls of wisdom she offered at the Trust’s monthly book group meeting. Her wise ways and loving kindness will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Over the Threshold by Vicky Willson

I write this as I am recuperating from a mysterious virus. Over a week ago I awoke with a persistent headache which was later accompanied by nausea. After a miserable day, I thought a good night’s sleep would do the trick but was surprised to find myself overtaken by vomiting and weakness. Days went by, my weight reduced and I was shocked to find what had been a relatively healthy body diminished into something frail and dehydrated. As I wasn’t making progress at home it was decided I should be admitted to hospital to go on a drip

In hospital

I had assumed that as soon as I entered the hospital a clean, crisp bed would be waiting for me. How wrong I was! After sitting around in a wheelchair I was ushered into a small room where various tests were administered. Then at last a bed was ready for me while I waited to be seen by a doctor which was when an amazing thing happened – I started to feel better even though I hadn’t received any treatment! The vomiting stopped and I began to take notice of what was going on around me in the busy medical assessment unit. Even though I couldn’t see the patients in the beds next to mine, I could hear very clearly the conversations between them and the hospital staff. I began to realise that I was surrounded by an atmosphere of love and care and it was this that was making me feel so much better....

My Father, the poet and writer Derek Neville by Jonathan Neville

My father, Derek Neville was born in the early years of the last century; he never knew his parents and was brought up by two maiden aunts within a strict and austere atmosphere. He left school with relatively little education, just being grateful to be out of the hated, repressive environment. However, his love of words determined the direction of his life and he set about providing himself with his own education to the point where he could quote virtually any line of Shakespeare

Derek started writing at an early age and soon developed an ability to express himself through poetry that became entwined with his philosophy of life and religion. His religious beliefs differed from those of traditional Christianity as he looked to cut through the pomp and ceremony to look for the real people

I remember the bells that pealed
When we walked to Church across the field,
But one of the loveliest sights I saw
Were roses growing by the door.

I buried my face in the family pew
And thought of the roses wet with dew.
When the others had turned to prayer,
I thought of the roses growing there.

I thought of the clusters red and white,
I thought for long of the lovely sight,
Of the roses that grew outside the door,
That lived the life, and knew the law.

The people sang, and the parson prayed,
And under the window the roses swayed.
I did not know what the Litany meant,
But how I remember that lovely scent!
It stole through the Church; it pervaded the air,
As lovely, as holy, as anything there.
And, oh, its sweet presence, its infinite charm,
Was better than sermon, Epistle or Psalm.

And now? - I’ve forgotten the collects we read;
I cannot recall what the clergyman said.
But I know that the Creed and the laws of Moses
Were not for me and not for the roses.

A Request from the heart
My father wrote an autobiography but he never finished it. If anyone feels they have the skills and wherewithal to put the manuscript into print, I would be pleased to talk to them. My contact details are:

Mossymere House
Mossymere
Itteringham
Norwich
NR11 7BD
Tel. 01263 587564
Email: jneville@mossymere.co.uk.

What God Intends by Sophia Roberts

We are made for goodness, we are made for love, we are made for laughter, we are made for joy, we are made for transcendence.
Desmond Tutu

Making Sense of Non-sense

As I write this Gerry and Kate McCann, the parents of Madeleine are suffering unimaginable anguish following the abduction of their daughter. I doubt very much whether they and the countless others who are, and have been, the victims of undeserved suffering will readily agree that life is good. Many will also reject the sort of God who, on the face of it, is powerless to intervene and prevent suffering.

This will particularly apply if God has hitherto been perceived as a sort of cosmic Santa Claus who unfailingly looks after his own. At such times devotees are bound to be bitterly disappointed. Because God doesn’t promise to fix anything; neither can we expect to be rescued. Christians, or followers of any other faith, are not exempt from suffering. The only promise is the one made to Abraham: ‘I will be with you.’ We can know this for ourselves if we call out; and if we listen.

Beyond All Telling

If we want a wider view of life we must be brave. Only the mysterious God who embraces all things – light and dark, pain and joy, life and death and whom it is beyond our capacity to understand - can offer any sort of comfort.

If we have courage enough to meet this God in the prayer that arises from silence and emptiness we come to know that we are cherished by a God who loves us, and in whom we can dare to trust. The knowledge that we are valuable and valued is beyond thought or emotion; it is not found in books, or speech. If we are to know it in our guts, we must discover and experience it for ourselves, Thereby we will come to recognise that God’s Will for us is the better way and we will be able to pray: ‘My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.’

Let Go and Let God

How we pray is unimportant because God always listens - no matter what we have to say, or how we say it. What we must do, however, is to approach God with a spirit of utter openness, without preconceived notions about who or what and without anticipating the response.

The advantage of coming before God in meditation is that it necessarily precludes the view that we can only know courtesy of our thoughts or feelings. If we can cease to use language - giving, receiving and interpreting signals – we are better able to become what God intends.

Readers' Letters

We continue to welcome your letters and emails. If you have a comment on an article or a suggestion to make, why not share your views with others. Please write to the editor at Bosham House, Main Road, Bosham, West Sussex PO18 8PJ or email elizabeth@thehamblinvision.org.uk

Dear Elizabeth
Thank you all for everything that you do at Bosham House and always producing such an interesting magazine. Being a writer I appreciate so much the problems of producing a magazine on time. The yellow gorse on the March/April cover is really lovely, a feeling of Spring, love and hope. Also my favourite colour.
Robert Harrold, London

Dear Elizabeth
I would like to take this opportunity to say what a beautiful job I feel you and others do with ‘New Vision’ with such attractive design (most of all the covers) as well as the very widely accessible content.
Jeremy Hayward, The White Eagle Lodge

Dear Elizabeth
Your editorial in the March/April issue was delightful! It was really good to read about Mohammed Yunus. It just reminds us how things can be. I really liked the article “Becoming An Elder” by Honor Griffiths too - wisdom is badly needed in our society! I also enjoyed “God’s Unfolding Dream” by Patricia Claxton – discernment is very important and it’s good to be reminded of it. I also was very taken with the Bristol Goodwill article – what a wonderful and practical contribution to helping to increase the light.
Fif Hugenholtz, New South Wales

Dear Liz
I am enclosing a cheque for an extra copy of March/April New Vision and a copy of the book “The Open Door” by HT Hamblin. It was such a delight to see your back page of photos taken of the Winter Solstice candle lighting ceremony and also your words printed on page 3. Neither my son or I were able to be there and I would like to be able to send him a copy of his father’s candle being lit. It is all very meaningful. Thank you for this imaginative and spiritual project.
Margaret Godfrey, Somerset

Dear Elizabeth
My husband, Norman, and I have both enjoyed the very fine article Brother Wolf...The Story of St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary in the May/June issue of New Vision. I will loan this edition of New Vision to several friends.
Louise Wilson, Bowser, Canada

Dear Elizabeth
I especially liked Michael Donnelly's article/homily '”Great Expectations” in the May/June issue of New Vision. It's a charming story which has a lot to teach us all and I am reminded of the saying, ‘Be careful that what you ask for is what you really want.' Every gift comes with its learning experience.
Stephanie Sorrell, Cumbria

Dear Elizabeth
I must admit that at first I regretted the demise of the “little blue book” which was so handy for the bedside table or to put in one’s handbag, but change must come and you have produced a very beautiful magazine and brought it up to date in a wise and loving way. It provides a great service and teaching when the world needs all the information and encouragement to reach up higher and to put aside fear and negativity.
Ken and Audrey Williams, Tasmania

Each issue of New Vision also features a good book reviews section

If you have enjoyed these excerpts, please telephone/email Bosham House for a full copy of the magazine. This is available through membership or by donation.
Tel. 01243 572109 email: office@thehamblinvision.org.uk