Feel very fortunate to live on Erraid now. In a way I feel it’s a miracle, to be here and now, in this precarious times. Here on this small tidal island, we live a simple life. Living in a small community, we meditate, grow our own veggies, look after the place, maintain it, care for the animals. We live with the natural rhythms, learn to communicate in a healthy way.

Just the things I was looking for. I’m very happy to look after the kitchen, after all the maintenance. Together with someone else I hold the area of spiritual and personal growth.

And yes, life is different here too, there are no guests around and that makes a huge different. Part of the fun of living here is to receive guests from all around the world and share the beauty and simplicity of this place, share this way of living.

In a way we live in a bubble here. At the beginning of lockdown we started off in self isolation with the whole community. The Scottish islands are fragile. Quite some aged people and not too much medical help. We were well aware and because of that really careful. But as we live together and with the precaution we took, we are to be able to live as a family. Right now we are here with 6 members, 2 in the membership procedure and 3 long term guests.

With a lot of nature around, a huge stock in the storages, a fantastic abundance garden, and Amazon to deliver the lacking bits and pieces we manage well. Often I hear others or myself saying how fortunate we are to be here and now.

Yet, living in community is a quite a challenge for me. The community mirrors the system in which I grew up, both in in numbers and in culture. The English culture with all its politeness and a little sugar coat. Often I find myself in a setback of old patterns. Judgment is certainly one of them, quite a strong one I would say.

My old patterns, all that’s going on in the world and the different ways of reacting to this made me think of this Osho tarot card.

It’s related to a story in the days of Lao Tzu in China. There was an old man very poor, but everybody was jealous because he had a beautiful white horse. Kings offered him a lot of money, but he said to them “ it is not a horse but a person, how can I sell a friend?” Then the horse disappeared and all the villagers said “we know some day it would be stolen, you’d been better to sell it”. The old man said, “the horse is not in the stable, the rest is judgement….. who knows what is going to follow”.  People left and always felt he is a little crazy. Then a the beautiful horse came back and with him a dozen wild horses. The village agreed that is was a blessing instead of misfortune. The story goes on. The son was riding on the horses and broke a leg. The village pitied the man. Then the country went in war and all the young men needed to fight , except the son with the broken leg. The words of the man to the village “Only God knows the total, whether it is a blessing or a misfortune”.

Osho commented on this: Judgment means a state of mind. And mind always wants judgement, because the to be process is always hazardous and uncomfortable. Be very, very courageous, don’t stop growing, live it in the moment, simply stay in the flow of life.

And what about you, are you able to stay in the flow of life? Would be lovely to meet you there!

Next blog: daily life and rhythms on Erraid