I offer you every good wish for whatever you celebrate at this winter holiday.
I hope you and your family have had a safe and healthy year. I and my family have been safe and sound, though I greatly miss seeing them all. Meeting them on Skype is not the same, but I am thankful for it all the same. Playing games online has been good, especially getting back into chess after 100 years, except I taught one of my grandchildren to play and now he beats me most times.
Seasonal Special – Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
My version of the spicy seasonal tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is now available on YouTube.
Soulfulness : My Psychotherapy Practice and Book
My book, Soulfulness, The Marriage of Shamanic and Contemporary Psychology is still a contender for the least read book on the planet, though those who have read it say they appreciate it. Apparently, the book has a following in the undergraduate body at the Institute of Psychosynthesis London, though rumour has it they have bought one copy to pass around.
If you can’t borrow a copy of the Soulfulness book, please, buy—and more importantly, read—your very own copy.
I have now created an Articles page on my Soulfulness website. There are currently five articles on the page, and more will be added next year. Here are the five articles:
More of ‘Self’ – Following on from my Soulfulness book, this article sets out the synthesis of Shamanic Psychology and Psychosynthesis psychotherapy in one aspect, the experience of ‘Self’.
Here is a testimonial for the article and the book: “It brought me so much joy and learning to read both your paper and your book. Now I’ve finished reading the book as well and I find it very inspiring and useful both in my client work as well as in my private life. Full of Soul & Spirit and practical how-to’s, I keep it with me like a treasure.”
Lena Ekwing, Dipl Psykosyntesterapeut & ICF Coach, Göteborg.
Evolve or Die! – The aim of this article is to offer a psychological response to the threat of human extinction, an evolved psychology, the synthesis of heart and mind. There is a related article, The Great Dilemma—Evolve or Die! that considers the Great Dilemma facing the human species—Evolve or Die!—and offers a response based on Psychosynthesis Psychology, the Psychosynthesis of Heart and Mind.
A Future for the Human Race? – The human race faces the prospect of human extinction, along with many other species. This article reflects on the outcome of a major crisis in history and offers a psychological response to the present threat of human extinction.
The Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of Life – Reproduced here is the Appendix of my Soulfulness book. Bringing together folktale, psychology, and shamanism, it is a reflection on this extraordinary Russian folktale.
My Psychotherapy Practice – Psychotherapy for Soul
When Covid struck I feared my psychotherapy practice was finished. Then Zoom came to the rescue, though it doesn’t suite everybody. Then again, working online I can see clients who are much further afield.
There is more about my work on my website Psychotherapy for Soul. There are essentially two aspects: Healing past traumas. Visioning the future.
Story: Storytelling, Folk Tales Books, and Playlists
A year ago, my friend and fellow storyteller Alan Woollard redesigned my Storytelling Website ready for me to relaunch my storytelling career.
Then, alas, came the virus, the lockdown, and the cancelling of my bookings. Instead, I have created three storytelling playlists on YouTube:
David England Stories for Kids
Lancashire Folk Tales & Berkshire Folk Tales
The Lancashire Folk Tales & Berkshire Folk Tales playlist has on it several videos taken from my books of Folk Tales, starting with the recording of a live performance – also featuring my son Ed on two violas – at the launch of Berkshire Folk Tales:
Lady Sybil and the Milk White Doe
Hopefully this will encourage you to invest in the Berkshire Folk Tales and Lancashire Folk Tales books.
I shall add more storytelling videos next year, so please watch out for them.
My Books of the Year
I have recently read three books by Joanne Harris that follow on from her wonderful book Chocolat: The Lollipop Shoes, Peaches for Father Frances, and The Strawberry Thief, each of them a magical delight and which moved me to tears.
The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato is a book of unrelenting excitement, intrigue, and shear interest, as the devastating secrets of Botticelli’s La Primavera are unfolded. A particular delight for me, the story roams all over Italy, a country I especially love.