Beshara

Beshara means to me...

Unlimited generosity and expansiveness. However I may imagine the universe to be, it is far larger and all-encompassing.

That I have asked to be here, that I have asked to be me, that I have asked for the experience and education that is my life. That all this is given, unstintingly, through love. That I am loved at the most essential level.

Hannah Kenner, 2008

A visit to Chisholme House - The Beshara School

During my recent four day visit to the Beshara School, several vivid memories flash by. The simple, quiet room that I stayed in, morning breakfast together, followed by silent meditation at the 8.30 AM morning meetings.  The feeling of peace, refuge in a storm, a place where the pace of life is slower, yet firmly focused on what is truly important.

This Oasis of tranquility, in the Borders of Scotland, brings together a wide range of people from disparate backgrounds, cultures, nationalities, ages and education. It has a calm, relaxed yet disciplined routine, an energy flow which is easy to adapt to.  Inclusivity is important, as is the shared goal of reaching One True Heart, or Ultimate Reality.

It was a place where I felt safe, at home, in a time of personal crisis.  Beshara has given me hope, a sense of purpose once more. The focus on the planting, growing, nurturing, preparing, cooking and serving food from the Estate, was a wonderful and surprising experience, as was the "zikr" which I was invited to attend on a Thursday night. That was an uplifting and awesome experience in itself.  This is a place of learning, of spirituality, of purpose and of common values, dedicated to serve the Truth, not to judge others and to help one achieve some sense of personal harmony in a world of disharmony.

I feel that I learned and rekindled many values and ideas, hopes and dreams that had faded or died in my life. This oasis of hope, some 200 acres, 12 miles out of Hawick, showed me a way to remember who I really am, not who I might pretend to be, or who I think that I am.  I remembered that we are all unique and loved by this Universe, which can be truly wonderful, when the "sand is not in our eyes".  God's silent breath on one's face is still sweet at Chisholm House.  His Hand seems to be guiding all at Beshara, towards a new and exciting global destiny.

With thanks and gratitude
Johnny Williams, April 2007