What's going on ?

Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a new step on my journey. I shared my understanding of The Three Principles, Mind Thought  and Consciousness. I was with a small group of dedicated professionals - teachers who explore with some of the world's greatest philosophers, our children.

As I shared my stories of discovery and practice I remembered a young ten year old boy with the spirit and courage of a lion in spite of his circumstances. I first met Thomas ( name changed) in assembly. Thomas had a difficult life at home and felt safest from the top rung of the wall bars, where he shouted and swore, entertaining the other kids.I saw his pain underneath his veil of clown. Beyond the veil of pain was another angry one and beyond that one of fear. Eventually Thomas the ten year old showed up in a most unexpected way. After spending time in this small Lancashire primary school with the children, with some of their parents and their community I discovered a unity of  bold strength. I went into assembly again and smiled at Thomas in his crow"s nest. He smirked shyly back checking around to see if his softness had been spotted. He was safe and he relaxed into a mild shout. 

The whole assembly hall was full of hundreds of children who ignored the shouting and we got on with singing and exploring for fifteen minutes. Then from the corner of my eye I saw Thomas climbing down to join us. He was the last to leave and as he walked by he lifted his head and said,

"S'good that miss,," 

I cried softly back in the staff room.

You see Mind works through with and from us. 

Sometimes our thinking projects a reality that ia made up. Then we look for ways to validate that reality. Thomas was validating his fears and pain, brought about by cruel parenting, from a high safe-to-him crow's nest. When he experienced trust and love through our connection he became more open to new thinking.

Last night I didn't" t tell Thomas" s story. I told some stories of me and later I quietly asked Mind how to connect with my next group of teachers. The answer came through Thomas. 

However I share this beautiful work in the schools in this land I know Mind has my back and I can let go and just be.

To all the teachers your biggest gift to children is to model how to listen with nothing on your mind and if you aren't sure about this then pop to my website where there is a short Vimeo clip.

In love and service 

Anni

Life in the fast lane

Have you ever experienced a time in your life where you feel stuck in over worrying, overwhelm or overwork? Sometimes when we try hard to achieve a specific outcome it seems to become more and more elusive to us. We drive ourselves faster and faster. That's because when we are lost in our thinking we are less resilient or purposeful.  We try harder, dig our heels in and continue to berate ourselves.
Meanwhile old habits kick in making you doubt and better doubt yourself. As these insecure thoughts play out in our minds like a brass band,  we give them so much more attention, creating a thought storm of thought habits or a deep mental rut that distracts each of us to our own detriment. Sometimes this over thinking becomes a fear or arouses some anxiety which eventually takes its toll and will either affects our performance, or at worst affect relationships.


I had the privilege of coaching a CEO over a time, listening to his lament of how busy and fast life was and as he described every detail of all the things (and all the people) that irritated him I listened.  (I have heard similar stories from social workers, teachers and parents I have coached). You see listening and not being caught up in another person's thinking - or your own, listening with nothing at all on your mind is crucial. There is nothing calmer than another person being fully present to you. Not a colluding presence agreeing and joining in with a person's thinking, but as one who hears between the spaces of the words quietly. It is as if time slows down and a deep simple feeling of connection occurs. You tune into the other person. In this reflective space your own inner common sense or wisdom can be heard. When I first listened to  the CEO I caught myself thinking "Poor guy" and smiled inwardly as I realised I was getting caught up in HIS thinking instead of pointing back to his inner truth. You see this is the beauty of the Three Principles, it is an inner journey- there is nothing new to learn, no theory to overlay, merely an understanding of how thinking creates our reality from the inside out. Once we realise that it is not external circumstances driving us, not other people or different circumstances,  it is merely our inner thinking creating our personal reality. It's us! WE are the horse not the cart, we are the driver not the car!

Another time I was coaching a young woman who was in complete overwhelm and hardly drew breath for the first fifteen minutes. Thoughts spilled out from her mind like an effervescent drink. As I pointed out her that her mind was full -without space for new thinking to refresh her common sense, she reflected for just one simple moment and it was long enough for her to laugh and to take time to hear her own wisdom. She was playing out a belief from her younger self, one that her Mum also had. This belief brought fear and anxiety about 'doing everything properly' and in not knowing what properly was (she had  previously assigned the understanding to the grown ups) she lived out this made up thinking reality. Once this young woman was still enough to reflect and to hear her own wisdom pointing to the truth that this was not her, her eyes lit up. We then had a powerful discussion of her new reality, with reflection time. From this clearer thinking more resilient place she created a new dream.

Let me share a little of how our mind works and how we could take our foot off the gas and slow things down more. Slowing things down creates ease and clarity. It points us to our true self and uncovers the innate well being we all have. When we experience thoughts we are creating our own reality, projecting  and re-projecting out into our lives. We live in the feeling of our thinking and these old stuck thought beliefs project on to our screen like a movie channel or gold channel on sky tv. This mental projection plays out really well in relationships and in the work place. The good news is that we can change channels and the simplicity of the three principles, that innate wisdom that occurs when we understand that we CAN change channels. From wisdom we are clear and purposeful once more. The beauty of this work is that the principles are an inherent part of our human experience, there is nothing to do...nothing to learn and all to experience.

www.annipoole.com

ease the

Hope for Africa! Thank you to St James CE Primary School, Wardle, Rochdale.

A HUGE thank you to Miss Catherine Aden, Headteacher and her stunning children and parents of St James CE Primary school!

Hope in our hearts

The children of Becky School Firestone Liberia will receive a cheque for the sum of £500 to help to purchase vital school equipment.

Miss Aden told the children how proud she was of their own efforts to provide for other children around the world. Parents in attendance at the end of year presentation assembly clapped and cheered loudly.

I was lucky enough to give a small thank you talk and to share some photos of Becky School, of Kimmie Weeks (Youth Action International/ Peace4kids) and of Spryte Loriano- another woman who has dedicated her life to humanitarian causes- just like Cath Aden!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AT ST JAMES CE PRIMARY
with love from Anni and Harry xx

Looking to Source. A prayer for the stuck places in our world.

Just now in this world there are so many misunderstandings, of war, of disease, of life.

In our own small piece of this world we too can experience misunderstandings and feel alone and separate until we reconnect with our own inner guidance, our wisdom, our source.

Often we forget about the source of our experience and we make it personal, very personal. Our thoughts layer one upon another camouflaging our own innate well being and our ego keeps us still and small or afraid and in victim. We are at the shoreline with our heavy boat and we cannot see the incoming tide that will carry us to safety. So we push the heavy burden, push and push. And ego laughs at our feeble efforts whilst we try and try and try harder still.

Until...at last, the flow of the incoming tide lifts our heavy boat and carries it effortlessly forward with ease and grace. We forget about the problems we created and now we can stay in the flow of a greater creation, we are connected to that greater intelligence, the source of all life, once more.


www.annipoole.com

Harry raises $450 dollars with Mrs Foster and Whitefield Primary School!

Dear Children of Becky School

 

My name is Harry and I am 8 years old. My Grandma, Anni Poole, came to visit you in Africa and I wanted to help to raise money for your school. I made a video appeal  (annipoole.blogspot.com).

 

So next I started an appeal in my school and my headteacher Mrs Foster helped me. It was cool.

We went around all the classes telling them all about how your school needed lots of equipment. All the kids listened really listened.

 

Then my Grandma came into school and led an assembly to show pictures of Becky School and your beautiful country, so that our school could understand a little piece more.

So we held a special Africa day of fun and came in our own clothes! It was really cool and now everyone knows my Grandma as Anni and I am proud to be helping her and especially to be helping you. I raised £266 English pounds or $450 dollars with the help of my friends. My Grandma and Mum are really proud of me.

 

I would really like to help you to buy a computer one day.I hope you have some great chances in your school cos I do in mine. Mar says Mr and Mrs Wiseh are lovely people.

 

Lots of love

Harry

Harry's Legacy for Liberian Children

 

This is my Grandson Harry he has been my BEST supporter for this lifetime trip to Africa. I went to his school to watch an assembly about Inspirational People in your life. I wanted to inspire Harry.

Today I went to Whitefield Primary School to talk about Hopes and Dreams and how their assembly had inspired me to go to Liberia. This was my dream since I was a little girl. When you have a dream you need to enlist the support of friends and family to help you to achieve it. Thank you Harry , Mrs Foster the Headteacher, Staff, Children and parents of Whitefield School for helping Becky School with your toys and £1 coins raised on your non-uniform day. Whitefield School are raising money for desks chairs books and a teacher for Becky School. Thank you.
Love Anni x

A heart of a lion

 

Loving Liberia

Since I returned home I have been unable to post here. I needed to journal and to feel my feet return to the Earth Space I hold sacred to me...England.

I love my African people.

I love my team mates , those I ventured into the jungle and whose hearts opened so wide to Liberia.

I am still taking in the expanse of the legacy Robert Evans Spryte Loriano and Kimmie Weeks enabled me to give.I met such beautiful children and welcoming youths and adults. I heard their dreams and they wove into mine...

Liberia calls me back.

Back to children.

To Jimmy in his orphanage.

And it calls to me.