Held by Claire

04/05/2026

When I tell people I work as a funeral celebrant, their reactions range from shock to curiosity to concern - 'gosh that must be hard'...
And yes of course it can be hard and it can be upsetting but, above all else, it is a privilege...
It is an honour to learn the story of the person who has died and an absolute privilege to be trusted by their family to create a ceremony that reflects their life and personality...
And to hear comments afterwards like 'They would have loved that', well what greater feedback could you ask for 💝

04/05/2026

So true…
Highly recommend The Harmony Hub, Chorley 💝 and aspire to live by the same principles at Held by Claire 🙏

An article that is Food for thought ❤️

The Harmony Hub is built on three Principles:-

1. Authenticity- courses, classes and groups are facilitated by people who walk the walk and live by what they teach/share.
2. Accessibility- open to all.
3. Affordability- fair prices charged and concessions available when we are able.

This article really resonated with me this weekend. I’m not sure of the source so if you recognise the author please let me know so I can credit them.

Be Careful Who You Trust With “Healing” Today

We’re living in a time where everything is being called healing…

Quick certifications.
Weekend practitioners.
People offering to “fix” you after a short course.

And the truth is — not all of it is real.

⸻

In traditional paths, healing wasn’t something you just learned…
👉 It was something you lived, earned, and embodied over time.

It came through:
• Experience
• Challenge
• Deep personal work
• And a genuine connection to spirit and nature

Not a certificate printed after a few hours online.

⸻

⚠️ The danger today is this:

People are putting their trust, their energy, and their vulnerability into hands that may not be ready to hold it.

And that can leave you:
• Disappointed
• Confused
• Still searching
• Or even more out of balance than before

⸻

Real healing isn’t:
• Instant
• Flashy
• Or something done to you

👉 It’s something you are guided back into within yourself

⸻

So take your time.

Feel into the person you’re working with.
Ask questions.
Trust your instincts.

Because the right practitioner won’t try to impress you…

👉 They’ll help you reconnect to your own strength.

⸻

What is needed is:-
🌿 Grounded work
🌿 Real experience
🌿 No shortcuts

Because this path deserves respect.

⸻

03/05/2026

Sunday Stillness 💙🦆

29/04/2026

As well as a deep insight into your own energies during a soul plan reading, you can investigate the energies of other names, for example your business name. It’s important that the energies of the name you choose align with your own energies and also with the nature of your business.
When I first set up my businesses and then when I subsequently merged them and changed the name, I spent a long time looking at the energies of different names before going to a fellow practitioner for a deeper dive and insights into which name would fit ☺️
Does your business name hold the energies that are right for you?

29/04/2026

Biddulph Grange Country Park 💚

29/04/2026

Really enjoying Robert Holden‘s new book on the enneagram and especially discovering the similarities with Soul Plan 💞 I’m loving revisiting my soul plan chart and comparing the energies with the traits of a Type Nine! 🙏

28/04/2026

I am treating myself this week… yes it’s to a few much needed days away but more than that it’s me showing myself kindness, and realising that I don’t do it often enough! 🥰

We often say, “I'm going to treat myself,” and we mean by eating cake with extra icing, by booking a weekend away; by buying a new pair of shoes.

We talk about indulgence as if it’s the only language our tired hearts understand. We throw glitter at the ache, sugar at the silence.

But rarely do we say, “I'm going to treat myself kindly.” With soft mornings and no guilt. With patience when I forget, and grace when I fall short. We forget that gentleness is a gift too; that rest is not earned like a badge, but granted. Not in exchange for doing, but simply for being.

Maybe the real treat is not the cake, but the way we speak to ourselves after a long day. Maybe it's not the getaway, but the way we stand our ground and keep our faith when things get hard.

Maybe kindness is the sweetest thing we keep forgetting to serve ourselves: keep forgetting to treat ourselves to.

Yes, treat yourself to the cake, and the holiday and the shoes.

But make sure they're not a substitute...
for treating yourself with love.

*****

Becky Hemsley 2025
Beautiful artwork by Claudia Tremblay

This is a newer poem, but there are more like this in my collections 'Letters from Life' and 'Words to Remember'

26/04/2026

Love this 🥰

26/04/2026

26/04/2026

🌞🌿🌼

There’s an old bit of folklore around gorse and the turning of May.
When Gorse is in full flame, gold blazing across heath and hedge, it’s said the land has properly crossed into summer. Folk would take that as their sign. gorse was gathered for the Beltane fires, prized for how fiercely it burns, hot, bright, and quick to catch. The same heat that could bake simple bread at the edges of the flame.
There's another too. Bringing a flowering sprig indoors in May, is
a way of drawing the season over your threshold. Not just marking summer, but inviting it in.

26/04/2026

Sunday Stillness 💚💙🌼