you leave the road and turn into the drive of the Bield at Blackruthven, pause for a minute. You are crossing a threshold.
Definition: the magnitude or intensity that must be exceeded for a certain reaction, phenomenon, result, or condition to occur or be manifested
Remember when you decided to come to the Bield? You sensed it was time to leave your busy, crowded, complicated place and to take time for some inner space. The Bield, a shelter place, is now ready for you where all of your senses m
ay become awake, aware, alert, attentive. An invitation to adventure.
Waiting for you are the creatures who call this their space. Waiting for you is ground space, places for eating, sleeping, swinging, swimming, resting, and doing whatever you are drawn to. On this visit, pay attention to the creatures. Look for the red squirrels who roam around. Recently a couple simply walked under the Holy Communion table in the outside chapel on their way to climbing a variety of trees.
If you decide to prayer-walk the labyrinth you may be accompanied with a few chickens. How do they pray? Look and be amazed. Find their chicken-shaped depressions alongside the path. They know when to stop and rest for a while. You can do that in the centre space.
In the sky above the soprano, alto and tenor sounds of birds often make up a choir. Recently Marianne heard five ravens circling overhead adding their bass notes. They so delighted her that she couldn’t help but tells some of us about their music coming out of their shining black beauties.
While some of us were waiting for corn, potatoes and burgers to cook at a bar-b-que, hidden in the corner by the swimming pool another form of eating was happening. Baby blue tits chirped for their mother to drop dinner into their open mouths. While they always eat in the open, we were the guests joining them.
Walk up to the Smallholding. Two new alpacas have joined the surviving goats, chickens, geese and sheep. The small black alpacas, with Norma’s help, have enabled one of the girls in this safe-space to overcome her fear of animals. Take a walk and you might see how she has crossed the threshold of fear to be able to hold the rope and walk with the alpacas.
Remember you chose to come to the Bield. You are ready to open your eyes wide, breathe deeply, smell freely. You have crossed over the threshold and the creatures are ready to help you enter peace and rest. In this spaciousness you may become more creaturelike as you slow down, touch nature and let nature touch you. Various beech mast and acorn shells fall so that you can pick them up. Leaves bow to touch your head to help you inspect them. Look for tiny insect creatures.
‘Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart'
Sharon Stinson