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Proverbs, A Harper, and A Death-Mask.
“ Proverbs are not only for ornament and delight , but also for active and civil use; as being the edge tools of speech which cut and penetrate the knots of business and affairs. “--Bacon.
Who could argue with Bacon? And has anyone made better use of proverbs than Dubliner Fiann Ó' Nualláin? 52 Proverbs to Build Resilience against Anxiety and Panic - An Experience in Irish Holistic Wisdom
which was published on 28th April is the latest work of Fiann who
is a well known author and media person. This author an award-winning
garden designer, who is has been involved not only in therapeutic
horticulture but social and outreach therapy for more than twenty
years. He is the author of mindfulness manuals and regularly
contributes to wellness segments, TV, and radio panel discussions.
Proverbs, or Sean-fhocail in Irish, are made up of the
accumulated wisdom of our ancestors through generations. Like fables
and parables Irish proverbs and the accompanying exercises in this
book would help chart a course through life's obstacles to find greater
happiness, calm, and meaning for us all..
I asked Fiann what prompted him to white this useful and beneficial work. He told me, “My
background is in social and therapeutic horticulture and medicinal
botany. The medicinal botany led me to write about herbalism and growing
your own foods and medicines for the Irish examiner and to doing some
slots on morning television with RTE and TV3 about gardening for health
which all led to a few books as ‘the holistic gardener’ with Mercier
press.; first aid from the garden, beauty treatments from the garden,
natural cures for common ailments.
But in all that time I was working a day job as a social
and therapeutic horticulturalist with Dublin city council, the HSE and
other agencies – and that was about creating gardens and allotments to
help people rehabilitate form illness (like a natural physiotherapy) or
get distracted from their life woes and worries (as part of social
prescribing and nature therapy). And as over the years the client base
grew more on the psychological side so I retrained in mindfulness,
cognitive behavioural therapy, psychotherapies, sociology and addiction
studies to better understand the problems of the clients and better work
ways of how to support, so while the tai chi and the yoga got
introduced along with the aromatherapy and herbal tea cultivation so too
the positive psychology and journaling came into play. A lot of those
exercises that worked for many clients made their way into this book.
Not as holistic gardening but as the pure life skill or mindset methods.
The book was written during the first pandemic because the
allotments and clinical centres were closed down and I was scrambling
to keep people toped up by phone and zoom and fire fighting surges in
anxiety and desperation, and I was often using a proverb or technique as
a starting point. Also, I had my own experiences with negative
psychology as a teenager and all the methods I had put in place to stop
that breaking into behaviour over the years seemed to be the opposite
advice during Covid where panic and hypervigilance was the atmosphere if
not order of the day, and the book was both my way to regain control
and stay grounded but also to contribute something that I know will be
helpful to many as the new normal seems to include a lot of
uncertainties and stress triggers.
I had been thinking a long time about a book about gardening
and mental health, but this book seemed more appropriate. The proverbs
are what we have passed from generation to generation through all sorts
of crisis, including invasions, famines, wars and mass emigrations –
they hold such power, I just felt if ever they were needed its now and
yes the pandemic is over and we are all recovering best we can but
anxiousness is still palpable, and worse it is part of the daily now,
from fomo (fear of mission out) to how we are marketed everything from
toothpaste to soap operas, don’t miss out, you need this, pay
attention, don’t make the mistake of not.
We live in a high alert world, and not every tension is
necessary. I hope the book can help reset some of that, or at least
equip with the skills to short circuit any negative reactions to all the
triggers.”
Fiann dissects each proverb and finds hidden meanings and
food for thought in each one. I’ll give you couple of examples of what
he could find:
Chíonn beirt rud nach bhfeiceann duine amháin
Two people see a thing that one may not
“This proverb echoes the idiom ‘Two heads are better
than one’; that a problem shared, whatever about its load
being halved becomes a problem more easily solved. Two
perspectives are better than one on seeing the bigger picture,
on triangulating the problem, on working out an answer.
We as individuals can not only be so caught up in our
panic and distress, and not on top of our solution-finding
game – distracted from the focus and awareness re-
quired to be match fit but we can also be trapped in
our assumptions and prejudices and so truly need some
balance to our biases. We may need some coaching, or just
a half time pep-talk to get our perspective and gameplan
back on track.
The chemistry of stress in our system is responsible for brain fog and difficulty in decision-making, it is not admitting defeat to get help, it is the wise move. So yes, talk to a friend, mention your woe to a family member, ring a help line, join a support group, see a counsellor. Get that extra head on the case.Caveat – people are often well meaning but not necessarily well equipped, so be selective before you recruit shoulder to cry on or an ear to confide in. Not every friend or family member will understand where you are coming from or what you are trying to achieve. Some may want to soothe your hurt and so say all the right things that make the pain go away temporarily – generic pacifiers such as ‘it’s not your fault’, ‘you are doing great’, ‘it will pass in time’, ‘don’t worry about it’. That may soothe, but does it solve? Sure, some emotional comforting is good but pulling out the bullet is better. . . “
Ní dhéanfaidh smaoineamh an treabhadh duit
You’ll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind.
“We may well need to think some things through, but we
also need to address and rectify errant thinking, future
apprehension, rumination and procrastination – and we
do achieve that by doing. By engaging with more mindful
and CBT practices – putting the work in. CBT is not just
talking about problems; it is problem-solving. Mindfulness
is not just emptying the mind of negative thoughts; it is
experiencing positive actions. Positive psychology is not
just feeling good while ploughing the field, it is knowing
how to cultivate a better existence. . .”
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If you suffer with anxiety or any of the allied disorders or just looking for practical guidance for living a more fulfilling life and consequently contributing to the fulfilment of others , Mercier Press and this experienced and inspired author has brought you a valuable resource. A blend of ancient Irish wisdom and modern techniques, a valuable tool for anyone seeking peace and calm in mad, mad, world.
52 PROVERBS TO BUILD RESILIENCE AGAINST ANXIETY AND PANIC - AN EXPERIENCE IN IRISH HOLISTIC WISDOM . Published by Mercier Press.
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Féile Patrick Byrne consists of traditional music, dance and
singing workshops plus concerts, sessions, a sets céilí, historical walk
and lecture. The event honours Patrick Byrne (c.1794-1863), the last
noted exponent of the historical Gaelic harp and the first Irish
traditional musician ever photographed.
A traditional music festival held annually on the Palm
Sunday weekend in and around Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan and organised
by the Carrickmacross branch of Comhaltas, the Féile was set up to act
as a flagship event in the promotion of Irish traditional music in the
locality.
The aim of the festival is to provide high quality tuition
to local musicians; to expose local audiences and players to the work of
leading exponents of traditional music and to develop an audience for
traditional arts using the heritage of Patrick Byrne who was born around
1799 in Magheracloone. He lost his sight from smallpox as a child and
was known as Pádraig Dall O Beirn. He died on April 08th, 1863. This
year’s Feile began on March 30th and the opening address, titled “The Harper that Once,” was given by Carrickmacross native and great-great, grandnephew of Patrick Byrne, Frank McNally.
The present mask, went under the hammer at Adams Auction
Rooms, Dublin on April 28. The expected price was €6000 - €8000 but as
far as I can gather it was unsold. It was believed to have at one time
belonged to Joan Ryan of whom Kavanagh was very fond, having proposed
marriage to her when she was already dating Senator Eoin Ryan who later
became her husband. Signed and dated by Seamus Murphy this death mask
constitutes an iconic image of one of Ireland's greatest and definitely
most popular poets.
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See you in June.
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