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An Interview With Juliet Fay

Posted on Dec 23, 2020
Comments (1)

By Peter Wyn Mosey
Peter Wyn Mosey is a participant of People Speak Up Projects, including Story Care and Share and Spoken Word Saturday.

Juliet Fay is a guest facilitator for People Speak Up. She has been involved with People Speak Up since very early on when she was brought on board in the guise of a coach to assist PSU’s founder and director, Eleanor Shaw as she started Story Care and Share which sought to bring together anyone who has long-term health or social condition. Having support from Juliet was invaluable to Eleanor and her team. 

I spoke with Juliet to learn about her experiences facilitating sessions for Story Care and Share and to find out more about the principles that underpin her work. 

Juliet has been a student and teacher of The Three Principles. The Three Principles, as expressed by Sydney Banks are Universal Mind, Universal Consciousness, and Universal Thought. To Juliet, these are metaphors pointing us to explore: what life is, what we are, our True Nature, and how our moment-to-moment experience is created. They point to: the mystery that animates life (Universal Mind); the capacity we humans have to be aware of life (Universal Consciousness) and the fact that all of our experience comes to us via the power of Universal Thought. 

It is not so much a prescription as a description of how life works. Juliet feels immensely privileged to be both student and teacher of this understanding. Seeing the truth of this understanding, deeper and deeper, feels like a lifelong exploration. 

Sydney Banks was a Scottish welder, who lived in Canada, working at a pulp mill when he had an enlightenment experience in the 1970s. This understanding is now shared in schools, prisons, corporations, mental health charities, and individuals in countries across the globe. You can find out more at http://sydbanks.com/.

When the Three Principles came into Juliet’s awareness, the first piece that clicked, was the simple logic that we are always at the effect of what looks true, in any given moment. What looks true comes from the power of Thought and determines how we feel, how we react, and what we might say and do, moment-to-moment. And the great news is that what looks true can and does change. There are an infinite number of possible perspectives, (thoughts) available, so if you don’t like the one you’re experiencing, you can rest assured a new thought can come along at any moment. 

"I love facilitating the People Speak Up sessions because, we get to experience, in real-time, the infinite capacity we have to create (or receive) something new and fresh. Each time, people show up curious and listening. You can feel that is the case, as soon as we log on. Whatever kind of day we’re all having, in that space of listening, sharing, and exploring something very beautiful happens".

Juliet says that you often see this in gatherings of poets, writers, and people who enjoy each other’s company. We relax and something new arises. These are ideal conditions for fresh thought. 

As a facilitator, she never knows what the themes or questions that she offers are going to elicit.

"That is the joy of it. The depth and range of expression always blows me away. The warmth and connection that comes from the sharing is palpable."

Another way we could point to what is happening during these sessions is: our curiosity takes us effortlessly, out of our repetitive thought patterns that tend to dwell on ourselves: our past and our imaginings about our future. In that space, something new and fresh can arise. 

In terms of facilitating for People Speak Up via Zoom, Juliet was fortunate in that she already facilitated group gatherings and conversations with international clients via Zoom. She had already witnessed the depth and transformation possible in Zoom rooms, and didn't need convincing that the technology could work for a range of different get-togethers. 

It has been a gift during lockdown enabling many in-person gatherings to go digital thanks to the vision and tenacity of people like Eleanor Shaw, founder of People Speak Up who took the Story Care and Share group online and helped everyone get familiar with the technology. Keeping these connections going has been invaluable for many.

An added benefit has been the expanded access beyond the limits of geography so we’ve seen our local Poems and Pints gathering, hosted by Dominic Williams of Write 4 Word, go online and become international. It has also opened up live gatherings to the housebound, the isolated and the introverts who may have always found in-person groups unappealing or difficult to attend.

For Juliet, the online gatherings she joins and facilitates have played a huge part in keeping her connected and nourished through this time, living alone, with her partner overseas.

The longer-term challenges are perhaps just beginning to show up. We can get very comfortable, maybe too comfortable, at home, with our screens and not notice how live meetups might have become unappealing not just because of the Covid-19 virus but because we have actually grown accustomed to the absence of other people. Even to the point of convincing ourselves that we are protecting others by remaining in our safe bubble when in fact mixing with others has started to look undesirable and scary for reasons that may not be clear to us. 

There is something intangible that happens when we orbit each other in physical form, something precious, something we would do well to remember and look for ways to restore in our lives, as and when we can.

"I’d like to end by saying a big thank you to Eleanor and all at People Speak Up for inviting me into your gatherings. It has been a joy to be with you as a guest facilitator through this extraordinary year".

"For 2021 let’s revel in the ordinary delights, hidden in plain sight, each and every day. The shared smile, sitting warm inside with a book on a wet day, the kindness of strangers, the morning sunrise, the sudden flash of absurdity that hits us when we realise we are taking ourselves way too seriously, joyous memories, the comfort of a warm scarf, the familiarity of our favourite radio show or playlist and the simple joy of a cup of tea. This is what matters. The wonder and joy of the ordinary. With love and best wishes for the festive season, Juliet"

Juliet, a poet and Three Principles facilitator, is dedicated to exploring and appreciating the wonder and power of the human spirit. Going deeper, beyond what we know. She does that through heartfelt conversations and group gatherings (by invitation only), also by creating soulful poetry, podcasts, illustration, artwork & prose to awaken the heart. Subscribe ~ podcast ~ blog  ~ www.solcare.org ~ juliet@solcare.org