Sue Cooper

Spoken in English. Their words, as they said them.

Compassionate community building is at the heart of the work that I'm called to do.

And that's the point. We can go so far on our own in terms of, gentle meditation and mindfulness or any contemplative practices, faith, whatever whatever helps settle that sense of aloneness and brings in a sense of belonging.

It's all there. It's all there. So as we move into our own, communities, That may be on Zoom, but something beautiful about being present with another as I am present here with you. To be able to express without judgement, and find each other in our communities who can help create that bubble or that safe space that becomes a brave space as you express, and an intentional space as what is it that I can support you in that journey?

The question I ask continually is how do we who practice, who share holistic, well-being, help those who are looking for it, when we don't know who they are and they don't know who we are. So so I ponder this often, and the answer that I get is, all will be well.

The people will find those that they're seeking for when they are in a position that the place where they are no longer is serving them, and reach out for help, and the help will come. A part of me says, well, that's random. It should be a a better system than that, but the universal system is different to the system that we are used to and expect. So the big the big question is really is, or the answer maybe is, we need to find each other, and we need to ask, and have the courage to ask. Where can I find help? Or, Can you help me? And there will always be somebody who will be there to scoop you up when you're ready.

So from a personal perspective, when I went through my period of overwhelm where life wasn't making any sense. I couldn't find anybody because I didn't know who I was looking for.

But I became a seeker. And, everything else could So far flown travels all over the world. But it was all here actually. It was here deep within me, but I wasn't able to access it on my own.

When I was going through my overwhelm, not being able to be creative within my chosen field of nursing, I went to see a friend, just because I had some time, and then I expressed that I was really not in a good place. And and then I actually burst out crying. A wave just hit me because I'd actually expressed something. And she said, well I think I know what I can do to help you. And she went and got a book. It was a big coffee table book And she said, I think this book will help you. Just read what's in it. And it was a book on Ayurveda, the ancient healing tradition. And then she says, and I think meditation would help you find a little a little peace. Let me take you to a meditation class. I'll come with you. And the seed was sown from there. So it was that it was that acceptance that I was in a place that I no longer wanted to be. That I was able to express in a in a, to to a dear friend who was so surprised. And then I was given tools, I was given this book to read which I didn't, I, as I was reading it I was thinking that how can you how can you do all these rituals? There's so much to do but what what I found was if I just held the book, that was enough. So so it was like there was an energy imprinted in this book that enabled me to to calm down because there was something in there that when I had the time and the energy I could read it. But it was being taken by the hands to a meditation group and and learn learning the meditation techniques. I didn't understand what was happening. But I just knew that in that hour and a half I felt, when I came out, I had a good night's sleep. The only time I had a good night's sleep during the week. So I, there was no hesitation about going back and my friend went with me each week for about three or four years, until I was ready to invite people back to my house and say, would you like to come to my house and meditate? So they so they did and and there's about six, eight of us to start with. And it grew to 80, but not in my house. We had to move venues again and again because this be, it started to perpetuate that people found out that we were meeting and that we were feeling buoyant from it because we were learning as well, not just meditating. We're looking at the work of various, Deepak, Chopra, Greg Braden, Bruce Lipton, in the early days from back from the nineties where they started their journey, through either cell biology or integrative medicine. So we we were learning where they started as we were starting. And I would say every one of us who've been in various groups that I've organized have gone on to do further training in holistic, therapies of some description. And many left their chosen professions but that's sometimes an age thing. It's time to move on or take early retirement. But the growth of, the people in our community is, it's a joy to behold because we do support each other. And then we go out and we hold mass meditation events and support people by, a human ring around people so that they know that they're safe when they close their eyes but they're held within a circle. But I think the essence is, when we help ourselves, and we then find another, or others to deeply see us, and then something happens.

The dream I had in 2016 which was really, that really accelerated me from starting meditation about 2005. So 2016 was, I woke. I was woken. It's like I was shake shaken awake and I had to write down these words and it was dark. But I had a pen and paper by my bed because I was used to journaling in the morning. And the words were, I was to co create compassionate communities and integrate holistic healing hubs throughout the globe.

So, but it started as a as a very light voice and then it got louder and louder. It shook me awake. It got very loud within. And then I wrote it down but I didn't write it down on one line because it it was dark. It was all over the place. So went back to sleep and then in the morning I opened that, well the book was open. And I looked at it and I thought, oh gosh, like yes I remember that. What does that mean? So the next night I had a message that these nine people I was to call together, to talk about it. And so I those nine people, were either in science, spirituality, faith, practitioners, therapists. And I called them the following week, and everyone came. Everybody's diary was magically free. And I sat down and talked to them, talked to them, but they knew that I'd been on a spiritual journey, as we all were, to different degrees, or a holistic journey. And, three, me and two, others, said we we have time to really develop this, whatever it is. The other said we haven't actually got time because we've got day jobs, but we will support whatever comes through. So we decided to do a mass meditation event in the centre of our town, Nottingham, in the Old Market Square on a Saturday, to coincide with mental health awareness week. So it's May 2017. And, invite holistic practitioners from our community to have marquees all around the outside so that after we'd had our mass meditation event and created a safe space and a bubble of peace and love, people could then go and meet those who were providing those services. About 800 people came to the meditation, and about four and a half, 5,000 people came to the event. It was all free, but we had lots of security guards, so we were able to track a lot of these figures as accurate. But what actually happened was we met each other.

So and and the people met the people who were providing services locally. But I I really do believe it was because we met each other. We've experienced what each other's offerings were, be it from hand massage to tai chi to laughter yoga to crystal therapy, whatever it was. And it was like, ah okay, now I know what you do. If I have a client who I think could benefit from what you do, then I will and and then this cross pollination of collaboration from competition happens spontaneously and naturally, and it still carries on till this to this day. So yeah, there's been a lot of, incredibly, there's been lots of challenges, but that has strengthened the determination even more that we will bring this into manifestation and enjoy the journey.

What what I remember very acutely was the day where I was at my lowest ebb and where I was was very close to the seaside. And I put my hands in the sea on this day, which was the 05/31/2007. I put my hands in the sea and I vowed that I would find healing. I would I would go anywhere in the world so that I could find healing for me. And it was only about six months ago, I went back and put my hands in that same seat, at that same spot.

I laughed because I only had I had a pair of shoes on and and, socks obviously and trousers. And I thought if I put my hands in the sea, how how lucky I've been that I haven't got wet. I mean I've got my hands wet. So as I went down again to put my hands in the sea and I put my head down to look at my hands, this massive wave came. So right up to my elbows, the whole of the lower part of my legs, my shoes were absolutely saturated and I I just thought that was the universe just really playing with me, it's like, okay, it's like being christened in a way. So I then had to run and jump and dance on the beach to try and get all this water out of my shoes because it was really cold. And I I just found the whole thing so very light hearted. It's like, oh, I just let go of it all because it is this is fun. This really is is, is a a delight and a, and a privilege, and then, I, it, I literally, the thought came, well I haven't got wet today, aren't I lucky?

I recognized that I had morphed into the person that I had been looking for, but I didn't know who I was looking for, what I was looking for, but I recognized those qualities that I was looking for, I was carrying and sharing for others, so it was a moment of great humility. I see now. This whole circle. It's as if there's a completeness there, but also an expansion to enable me to continue the work that I was called to do. Not necessarily do it, but support those who are doing it by sharing these stories which are true, to others, to inspire others that if we can do this in our community, and we we've literally just had a festival for positively empowered kids, which was so beautiful. I wanted to cry all day at the joy that was co created and the energy within this, incredible festival that was put on. So that strengthens the resolve again and again. That the the work is precious. The children have the answers. The children are conscious. And, the the next stage now is really building community around the the child. Youth voice in action, we call it. Because the child is supported by an ecosystem of school, family, community count counsellors for the for the child to thrive. So entering into the hearts and minds of the children and hearing their creative calling, and helping them bring what they need for, a vibrant and supported life into being is, yummy.

And then we share it. We're we're saying to anybody, this too can be yours, not necessary to replicate because every area is different. But how can we help serve you so that you two can bring this into your communities? What can we do? So so that's where we are. We've got global voices who are supporting this. Give they give their time. Global organizations who are supporting it and local and national. So but the heart lies in strengthening the local ties.