November 29 and 30 - Learning new things

I felt a little bit like Santa Claus on this day.  I had  my list - I checked it twice, I thought that I had everything done 'nice'.  Pfft.  Not a chance.  What could go wrong, did!  Thank goodness for great friends and supporters who managed to work around the difficulties that I manifested technologically. Mwah!

It was definitely a day of doing things in new ways - new technologies, new 'knowings' of lines in palmistry, meeting new guides during holistic healing sessions.  In the midst of all this newness and the excitement that this brings, my body continued to remind me that we were still in the getting to know you stage of our relationship.  You'd think that after 40 *cough, cough* years, I'd know my own body quite well.  No way.  Old memories, old emotional attachments kept coming to the fore all during the day.

These came up in a variety of ways.  I would feel a twinge or a muscle movement and place my hand there; asking my body why this particular movement was happening.  It was like opening up a floodgate and being bombarded with 'old' memories.  So many were in 'sepia' tones of memory!  My difficulty now lies in moving through these emotions rather than sitting and dwelling.  I asked for this and now, it is my responsibility to deal with it too.  I pulled cards, did Reiki on myself, colour healing even a little feng shui.  On top of all that, I called on Access Consciousness: If it's not mine, return it to sender.

Obviously (as I'm still feeling this), this journey is going to take awhile.  I can feel my gaze turning inward and acknowledging that as part of my humanity, there is a variety of emotions stored within my cellular memory.  To be cleansed, to move forward, these need to be acknowledged and assimilated rather than being swept under the proverbial carpet.

This process continued onto today, the 30th.  I wasn't sure whether I could blog effectively when I wasn't feeling particularly up to par.  The day flowed onto working at my friend's business for healing work.  Thank you Spirit that you could place a sufficient boundary between my mind/emotions and the healing work that occurred today.  I am continually amazed at your proficiency and sufficiency.  Thank you.  Some interesting emotions flowed through this day ~ not just little ones either.  The big ones: Jealousy, Resentment, Anger and Shame.  Wow!  The Big Four.  Fear capped them all.  Woah! Hold on.  That is NOT me!  What is happening?  A situation eventuated where I was able to voice these feelings safely with a friend and by talking it 'out' of my body, these emotions were released.  The kindness of friends, clients and strangers helped me to release these totally from my body today.  Thank the Goddess for that!  I don't know whether I could go through that again quickly.  It was like birthing!  Feelings the emotions rise, the waves of emotions getting stronger and closer together.  The only thing missing was being able to grab someone's hand and clenching it so hard while calling them foul names ;)  I think I did that to myself quite well.

Apart from some quiet moments catching the rays of Vitamin D and peering into the clouds, willing them to rain, I spent most of my day inside. When that happens it certainly feeds into the dissonance of self.  Note to self: GET OUT INTO THE GARDEN TOMORROW!

Namaste

November 28 - Perseverance

Today's lesson was perseverance. Big time. What do I need to preserve so that I may persevere?

I swear that every time I turned around, there was an obstacle in my path. Most of these were created by me - bah! At least. I'll admit to that.

It all started with my choice to meditate before going into my day. I sat, turned my thoughts inwards and asked my body to speak to me as I wanted to learn its ways and signs.  Not the brightest idea I've ever had -I felt every nuance of muscle movement within my body. The walls of my stomach moving and my intestinal peristalsis! TMI! lol   My body was excited about having this meet and greet session as it had a lot to say! I'm glad it was a quiet day to as my body made some pretty strange noises and I did too! Does anyone know how effectively gagged yourself?

The awareness had me so drained that I needed a Goddess nap in the afternoon.  I pleaded with my body to be quiet so that I could have a productive afternoon. Thank goodness it listened!  Finally, I could persevere through this physicality of myself and proceed with what I wished to achieve this day.

One project finished on the radio program to prepare for tomorrow. Achieved! Yay! Then my sainted postie rang the doorbell. Living in the sticks, our postie makes the effort to hand deliver important packages so we don't have to drive to town to collect them. Now that's service!

There was my postie beaming at me. You have a parcel, she said. Oh goody! It was like an early Christmas. I ripped into the box and discovered within treasure. For treasure it was! A beautiful friend of mine had been spirit led by the Goddess Brigid to create something for me.

How I cried as I cradled this majestic piece to my heart. As soon as I saw it, I knew what it was: a sacred feminine dreamcatcher. Its purpose was to allow me to see within the Goddess Realm and connect me even further to the sacred feminine. To my wonderful 'crazy' friend: I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  You have no idea how much this means to me.  It now sits pride of place in my outdoors sacred area i.e. my entertainment area.

This was something to preserve so to help me persevere. I include a photo of this creation for your benefit.

namaste

November 26 & 27 - Responsibilities

Responsibilities. GAH! I feel that there are times when the word 'responsibilities' should be classified as a four letter word.  I needed the arms of an octopus and the brain of a multi-tasking computer on the weekend.

The word itself has connotations of duty, lack of choice and work. It is not a pretty word. Each day, when I review my daily list of things to complete, I will sometimes daydream that my list of responsibilities is not as vast as they seem. You hear about those people who just up and go, leaving their job, their family and friends behind.  I'll admit to a little bit of envy at times. Especially when my day seems to be jampacked and I wonder when my responsibility to myself will become the first priority?

The silly season of December is almost upon us - the list of responsibilities seems to be growing longer and longer every day. My lesson pointed out to me, over the weekend, has been one of boundary setting. Re-learning when it is appropriate to say yes and when it is appropriate to say no. Each way I turned, I felt that my personal boundary was being tested. A family to feed,  a garden to tend, a concert to organise, projects to complete and a project to begin. Of course this summary doesn't include domestic duties and to take time for myself.

Chanting the mantra of  'time is my friend', I called upon the goddess cerridwen for the knowledge and wisdom to flow with time instead of fighting against it. Now I'm not going to tell you that I achieved everything on my copious lists at the end of each day!  What I did achieve was that I was able to sit back and congratulate myself on the work that was completed; the progress made.

Our entertainment area is now decorated for the upcoming Christmas parties of the season - with my sneakily placed Litha decorations that appease my desire to follow the seasons of the wheel of Time , while also acknowledging my family heritage of celebrating Christmas. My husband tells me that the decorations are a re-enactment of a Seasonal Minefield - just waiting to take out someone's eye. I say: that it is to check to see whether you are being observant! *Giggling*  Can I help it if I like to hang things at eye level?  That way you can see the colour, the glitz and festive cheer (and dodge it appropriately).

The drapes have been made for our upcoming concert and I even managed to get in some drumming practice on weekend. A happy camper, am I!

Due to the heat, my poor garden didn't receive the attention that it needed nor the attention that it deserved. There's always another day! Each night, I was able to sit, put my feet up and watch television with my husband; just relaxing in the company of a loved one.

As I write the weekends blog, it is actually Monday morning and my list of responsibilities is just as long if not longer. Looking over the list and prioritising it, the first thing to do today ( after completing this) is to spend some time on me.  Some meditation time sounds a perfect way to start the day - the rest will flow as the day progresses. It is important to remember that if we are not operating at 100% how can we give 110% to our responsibilities and others?  So definitely some meditation time required.

Garden note: on a quick tour of the Gardens on Saturday, I noticed that our agapanthus plants are finally blossoming! That's only two weeks behind the rest of the plants that I have seen - they obviously have their own agenda!

I wonder if a meditation on the Octopus would be suitable? :)

Namaste

November 25 ~ Thanksgiving

This particular day as particular meaning for me as a day for giving thanks.  My parents married on this day and 53 years together before Dad decided it was time to go to the other side (not willingly though!) *laughing*  We always joked that when Dad did something (whether right or wrong) it was whole-heartedly.  So, I give thanks today that these two wonderful Sagittarians came together making a life and a family together.  They often wondered where the changeling (me) came from in their genes.  There is much of Mum and Dad within me and as I age, I see more and more.  To them, I give my profound thanks for their loving guidance and collective wisdom.

My mum is a wonderful domestic manager.  So yesterday, to honour her (and I know this is going to sound strange) I cleaned my house - from top to bottom.  Calling on Hera (goddess of home and hearth) I tackled every surface, dust bunny and corner.  Covered in perspiration - because ladies don't sweat ;) - I was able to sit back, admire our sparkly home and hope that the cleaning fairy didn't put all the dust bunnies into extinction.  You need some earth magic in your home! *laughing*  I also wanted to barricade the door so that the family couldn't make it all dirty again!

Still no rain; so obviously my rain dance was not successful.  Although this did mean that I was able to go outside for a couple of hours to play with creative expression.  That was a lot of fun! I sincerely thank Lee for re-opening this door to my creative expression.  Satisfied with the couple of drawings I finished, I tackled the garden ~ calling on the Goddess Aeracura (goddess of spring and blossoming), I sought her knowledge of plants to ensure that I pulled weeds, not plants!  Hmmm.. I don't know if I was successful.

The evening was a quiet time with just my husband and I.  Did I say quiet?  We had a cold collation for dinner while watching the DVDs from the Countdown Spectacular ~ singing along at the top of our voices, dancing around the room and generally acting like nutters.  There was a lot of air guitar too.  A perfect way to celebrate the end of the working week.

Namaste

November 24 - connection

With the last few days experiencing strange time distortion,  today was no exception.  I didn't feel as stretched or compressed as on the last two days but the feeling was still there.  With the overcast weather and the promise of rain, I kept myself pretty much indoors all day. There were healing sessions to complete and readings to do!  a perfect day to stay inside or so I thought!

I had my plan set for the day to make full use of my working hours. We all know the saying ' the best laid plans of mice and men'. By about midday, I was ready to throw my plan out the window. I was beginning to think that the whole world was conspiring against me- the phone wouldn't stop ringing, people kept coming to the door and all my technological communication devices continued to announce new messages.  Now. I enjoy connecting with my fellow man but this was ridiculous!  I just wanted the time to connect the Spirit to benefit others.

In the midst of my frustration, I decided to take the phone off the hook, close the front door and the curtains, turn off Skype, put my mobile phone on silent and log out of Facebook.  Ahhh... Bliss!!! Wow! The silence of my environment was almost deafening. Isn't it funny how in the world of connection we so rarely take the opportunity to retreat, to listen to our own heartbeat, and to connect with our inner selves? This day in particular really made me focus on connection.

I came to the decision that when my mother passes over to the next stage of her journey, I am going to have my telephone disconnected. Why? Well, the telephone is the only device of communication that my mother is comfortable with at this time. I use my computer and my mobile ( when it has decided that it will be in range! ) to connect with the outside world.  The beauty of relying on my computer and my mobile is that these are easily powered down, turned off or just be put on silent so that those precious times of silence and connection are more easily made.

A friend dropped off some geranium cuttings today and I have placed these in a bucket of water. I hope that they will strike and I can plant them out in the garden.  These cuttings have blooms of blood red and candy pink. They are just beautiful. They will be welcome addition to my poor garden - I really must get outside on the morrow to water and tend the plants. My plan of working in the garden on the weekend may still be achievable if these rainclouds do not produce what they are promising.

Tomorrow is a day of domestic goddess duties and, fingers crossed, an opportunity to sit down and play with my pastels for creative expression.

November 23 - belief

The time tunnels of yesterday, continue to impact upon my physical journey of today. I felt so sluggish in my physical body but within my inner self, I felt motivated and excited. A really strange combination.

One day a week, I work at my friends store -Harmony and Homeware. This is a wonderful opportunity to get out of my house and away from my computer but also to meet and talk with like-minded people. I so value the conversations that we hold in this store during the day. It is an opportunity to vocalise ideas and by hearing them said out loud, I am able to test them against my own inner understanding. Because it is so interesting, that an idea that swirls around in our mind, once vocalised, sounds like utter trash! On the flip side of that, the vocalisation of an idea can lead to sharing and understanding as well as an expansion of an idea!

I have been contemplating a well-known phrase by the philosopher Descartes: I think, therefore I am. This contemplation has made me feel like a dog chasing its own tail!  Rocks don't think, or it least I don't think they do. So how can a rock be, if it doesn't think. Can you see my conundrum? It's been driving me crazy. Well, crazier than normal. Then while I was at Harmony and Homeware, I read in a magazine article where the author suggested a reworking of this famous statement: I believe, therefore I am.

Belief sit very well within my own notions of how the universe works. I constantly refer back to a quote by Thomas Edison where he talked about electricity. He was unsure what electricity was, he just knew that he could use it! And that's how I feel about belief! I am not sure how the power of the mind Works or the manifestation abilities of the universe. I just know that by combining the power of thought and the power of action, together amazing things can happen!

As I was driving the back roads through rural properties to go to work yesterday, even amongst all of the dryness indicated in the lands around me there was beauty to be found.  The frangipani trees were a riotous blossoming of colour splashing against the blue green palette of the Australian landscape.  The bouganvilleas were like freshly painted walls on fences and trees showcasing their vibrant colours on this dry day. Their colours were so bright that I think I may go and branches to decorate our house the upcoming season of Litha and of course the modern day celebration of Christmas at this time of year.

Oh my! I just realised that Christmas is a lot closer than I was originally thinking. Hmmm... Time to dig out the seasonal decorations I think!

Namaste

November 22 - time tunnels

Yesterday, was one of those weird days.  You know that feeling when time seems to flow at different speeds throughout the day? I really could have used the TARDIS (a doctor who reference) because I am sure that the March Hare was following me yesterday saying "I'm late! I'm late!"

Time management and I have never been the best of friends. Once I even bought a time management for dummies book. Boy, did that make me feel like a dummy! *Grinning*

My inner clock was telling me I was late so do those little jobs to use time wisely or so I thought. I always include a little Facebook game down time to even out my day. I'd finish each job, look at the clock and find out I still had oodles of time. What was going on?  These everyday tasks, that normally talk quite a lot of time to finish were being finished in almost record times. Or so it seemed to me!

I was ready for broadcasting on Reflect Radio two hours beforehand - not my usual scramble of uploading and preparation. As the day flowed, I felt that every client was running late but in actual fact they weren't!! What the?

Perhaps time is doing this weird slowing down, speeding up thingy are you too?  I'm trying to view this weird time distortion of today as an opportunity and reminder to relax and flow with time. As my friend Lee-anne says: time is my friend.  Even when my wrinkles and crow's feet are pronounced in the grey hairs seem to outnumber the Auburn ones, I am thankful every breath and every moment of every day. I think I have earnt every indicator of the passage of time.

Namaste

November 20 and 21 - Adventure

These two days have been full of excitement and adventure. On both days, I travelled into the capital city of my home state. Nowadays, this is quite a rare occurrence. It brings back memories of when I was a little girl travelling on the train to the high excitement of visit to Brisbane. Well, I may not be a little girl any more of the excitement levels were still there.

On the first day, Sunday, my family and I travelled to South Bank which is located on the Brisbane River. It contains a man-made beach for all to enjoy.  Although we didn't avail ourselves of this beautiful beach location, my family and I enjoyed sitting alongside the river - eating, drinking, laughing and chatting.

Now the main part of today's adventure, or is it actually trying to find South bank! To start with, we disembarked on the wrong station. This meant that we had to walk the 20 to 30 minutes through the inner-city. The only guide that we had was that we could see the river and we hoped we were walking in the right direction. Luckily for us, our inner navigational devices were working very well this day.

This same type of situation occurred on Monday when I went back into Brisbane to receive a medal from Queensland Rail for winning the CEO medal of first aid.  My husband took me to his new building where his office is located. When I decided to go trekking through in a Brisbane, the position of his office really through might in a navigational device out of whack!

I walked and walked and walked some more. This made me think about how so many of us feel lost on a daily basis. We don't know where we are, who we are, or why we are here. Being lost on both days in the physical world, my family and I could have chosen to become upset or angry at being lost. We could have just hopped back on the train and headed back home.  Of course we did neither. We chose to approach this as an adventure using all the tools and resources that we had available. Most of all, we had fun!

When we are lost within ourselves, it is important to look out for signs and markers that point us on our way.  it is also important to ask the help and direction; even more importantly, to seek help from those who are able to help.

We are only two days away from the new moon. As the moon wanes, traditionally this is a time of completing projects ready for the new moon's blessing on all that is new. Personally, I have found the last seven days or so to be more about planning and prioritising ready for the hectic month of December. Even so, I will use the new moon is an opportunity to review my manifestation list, my affirmations and to consider well my priorities.

How are you today? Do you feel lost or are you choosing to see life as an adventure?

November 19 - celebration

Today we celebrated a milestone birthday of close friend. It was a wonderful opportunity for friends and family together around this person and to celebrate their life. In particular, I really liked how we all came round this person - this person who has made some monumental mistakes in their life; public mistakes from bad choices.  now many may choose to turn their back on such a person that today was testimony to the fact that admitting a mistake, taking responsibility for a, and making better choices from that point on can lead to a productive life that touches the lives of others in a positive way.

It was such a pleasure to sit in the sunshine with family and friends surrounded by laughter, eating sumptuous food and celebrating the birthday of this close friend. I observed this gathering and felt the connections between all of us. I felt the last coming from the garden around us, the energy of the plants, the very air we breathe, all twining together in the connection of love between all of us.  That is a special day indeed.

After eating so much food, came home and decided that my body into it too rest of the carpet snake so that it could go digest properly.  It was so pleasant to lie within my bedroom, with the windows open and to feel the sunlight resting upon my body.

Then it was time for some action. Our vegetable garden needed our attention.  my husband and I went out into the garden together, working alongside each other, watering the garden, moving plants into better positions, planting new seeds, harvesting crops. I notice that the wattle trees have come into blossom in our yard.  The bees were very active harvesting the pollen from these tiny white flowers.  I wonder where their hive is located?  It must be close by. Where ever it is located, I am very thankful that they have chosen our yard to be busy within!

The summer solstice is four weeks away and I am feeling very drawn to begin my decoration of entertainment area and home to reflect this new change of season.  The building heat of every day and the amount of sunlight and receive every day makes me want to celebrate the Sun and the warmth that it brings to us.  I think I may bring out my sun decorations and making new ones to celebrate this new season.

namaste

November 18 - balance

After the excitement and fun of yesterday, I had a few options available to me. I could sit and rest my weary legs, or go to a friend's house for drumming rehearsal, or continue to catch up on the paperwork and tasks for my business.  As much as I was drawn to the first two options, I decided to put my head down and get to work on the paperwork that was waiting for me.

At the end of four hours solid work, I was very pleased to be able to sit back and see the progress that I had made. It struck me that if I had decided to go with one of the first two options, I would still have had all the work to complete either over the weekend or on the following week. It's all about balance. I started thinking of my garden and the innate balance that happens within the cycles of my garden. Too much water or not enough water can upset the balance of the plants ability to grow. Too much sunlight or not enough sunlight can also upset this balance. The same goes for the insects and wildlife that come to the garden and also the influence of man. The trick I guess, is finding the correct balance. I'm so glad that today I chose to sit down and do this work to get up to date with different tasks and correspondences. Now, I can face my weekend with a clear conscience knowing that I can enjoy the socialising balance of the weekend because I have done all this work today.

During my teaching years, I earned the nickname The General". This was due to my organisational ability and list making. I made lists for everything. Now some may choose to mock my love lists but I find them invaluable in understanding the balance of the day: what has priority, what can be moved to another day, or can be delegated to another person.  So I thank my list making ability today helping me find the balance by providing just enough water and sunlight to the Garden of my business. By treating my business organically, I hope to see amazing fruit grow and flourish. ;)

I just love technology. I went and purchased some voice recognition software so that I would be able to get to my tasks more easily and competently. It didn't take very long to train the software to understand my Australian accent but it is taking a lot longer to remember to punctuate.  In fact, this whole blog has been written by using my voice recognition software. Now I can blame all spelling and punctuation mistakes on it rather than my own keyboard dyslexia! *grinning*

How is your balance today?

namaste

November 17 continued

After the huge shifts within me on the 16th y, going shopping was probably one of the least activities that I wished to engage within.  This was a responsibility that I had to my best friend and also to myself.  I dragged myself out of the house to start the day.  All my herbal supplements and the cup of coffee couldn't seem to shift this feeling of BLAH.
That certainly changed within half an hour.  After going to the dentist (who is the gentlest soul on Earth) and then meeting up with my best friend, the day went from blah to STAR!  We had no specific plans other than to enjoy ourselves and shopping.
Noda and I have known each other since high school.  We have this peculiar langauge between us where we only need to say VISION and we know to stop and listen.  Our 'vision' is an idea that we want to manifest.  By sharing it, we can explore ways of making it happen.  Yesterday's vision was FUN.
We danced in the aisles, sang to the terrible Christmas music being played within the shopping mall (guess what guys, it's NOVEMBER!), laughed until our sides ached and ate till our tummy's were full.  It was a great day which also included snavelling some terrific bargains!  We both have 'visions' that we are manifesting at the moment ~ Noda has a fairy fort in progress for her precious daughter and I have a garden to transform into a wedding venue.  Every time Noda said "oooh.. look at this!", I knew that I would have to open my wallet.  *laughing*  My car was stacked with our purchases but it was bloody brilliant!  No time-lines, no children, no expectations.. just fun.
We saw a stand in the shopping centre, turned to one another and both said: I've been meaning to do that!  Laughing, we both signed up with World Vision to sponsor children as  part of our 'doing our bit' for the Global Village.  Synchronicity indeed!
Pleasantly knackered, we came home with our purchases exclaiming over the bounty of the day. To top the day off, I spent time in my garden watering the plants, speaking to the land and then coming inside for communion with my family.  A day of love, light and laughter is magic indeed.

November 17 ~ the skin you are in

It's midnight and this early bird is still awake. Large amounts of energetic shifting occurred throughout today.  My hunger levels fluctuated, my spine shifted into position on a regular basis, my feet filled with fluid.. The heat of today contributed to the physical condition. Yet, I feel as if I am alternatively 'holding on' and 'letting go'.. weird, weird, weird. *laughing* Well, that describes me in a nutshell! (pun intended).

A few other spiritual friends commented that they were feeling the same way.  As I lay in bed, I completed a grounding meditation through heart breath.  I felt like I was being physically changed.  It has been a knowing for a long time that our physical bodies mirror our inner self.  Today's energetic shifting was an alignment of my emotional, mental, spiritual and physical bodies.

Not the most pleasant of experiences; compounded with the need to wake early so that I may go shopping with my best friend today.  Argh.  I could sleep and sleep and sleep.  It's important to keep water levels up and be gentle with myself today.

I reflected on what my physical body says about me. I wear a fair amount of 'insulation' ;)  A lot less than I once did but still there nonetheless.  It feels to me like a protective barrier of my vital organs to help sustain me and hide the real me from the outside world.   I felt that the self-work completed during the Soul Activation Series is actually preparation for what is going to continue over the coming months.

On all of the auric and physical levels of my body, I believe that I need to consciously work through these barriers to reveal ME.  A gentle examination of thoughts and behaviours to assist with the transformation from inside.  Oh that's going to be fun! NOT!

Hmmmm... time for some access consciousness ~ I live my life with ease, joy and glory so what else is possible?

November 15 ~ Healing

Traditionally, we are within the last month of Spring here in Australia.  Today's weather was not Spring ~ it was Summer and it was HOT!  The cement of our driveway sizzled under my feet as I danced across it to get to the letterbox only to find that the grass was just as hot and sharp!

But to hold onto the idea of Spring and what that season means, today's weather actually does contribute to the idea. How?  Spring has a well-worn phrase : spring-cleaning.  It's the opportunity to sort through the junk of our lives ~ not only the physical dust, grime and clutter but also the thoughts and behaviours that no longer serve any helpful purpose!

When the weather is hot like this, we all retreat to our havens ~ our homes.  Crank up the air-conditioning, drink lots of water or dip into the pool.  The air circulates energy through our homes, the water detoxifies our bodies and swimming provides an overall cleansing. Perfect!

After broadcasting on Reflect Radio today and seeing clients this afternoon, I used the heat as an 'excuse' to clean up some email clutter and to also clear my desk of paperwork.  I feel that may be an ongoing task!

How's your Spring-cleaning today?

Namaste

November 14 ~ Renewal

Back to being Caithe from Celticai Studio today. Luckily, I love it!  I've made some adjustments to my daily routine after my week away.  I'm a routine kind of gal.  I've started using the 5 Tibetan Rites and a ten minute meditation to start the day, greeting the four directions and then flowing out to the entertainment area to sit, write and dream of all that is possible this day.  With a mug of coffee (I have one a day), I sat and listened this morning.

If anyone thinks that I live in rural bliss they are mistaken.  Our home sits next to a major highway and also alongside the entrance to the rural housing estate of 200 acreage lots.  Due to the roads and the increase in human population, we do try to make our little piece of paradise as animal friendly as possible.

My daily routines are accompanied by cars, trucks, buses and emergency vehicles making their way through their day.  Most of the time, I can block that noise and just focus on the sounds of birds and animals within the local area.  If an emergency vehicle goes by, I always pause to send love and light to all concerned.  That's almost a daily occurrence!

As I sat writing, a magpie-lark or peewee flew down to walk into the entertainment area.  He walked right up to my chair, looked me in the eye, trilled his song and flew away. WOW!  That was beautiful.  I've endeavoured to find out more about the peewee seeing that I've been visited here and in Melbourne. However there is little information about these birds~ spiritually, I mean.   They are not magpies apparently but related to the currawong.  I need to sit with their information a little more.

As I wrote out the preceding paragraphs, a tiny spider descended from the ceiling and hovered above my journal.  Spiders are wonderful earth magic symbols.  Look them up!  Spider always reminds me of Charlotte from the children's novel, Charlotte's Web.  Her gift to Wilbur the Pig is in empowering him.  Thank you, Little One, for the reminder.

It was an inside kind of day, with domestic duties, clients to see and our monthly Reflections program on Reflect Radio to be broadcast.  Sometimes, when I sit with the energy of Lee-Anne and Shelli as we do readings, I wonder "what am I doing here? These women are amazing with their depth of insight."  Then, I will receive a message that is similar to what Shelli or Lee-Anne receives and that is beautiful confirmation.

In the spirit of Spring, I've revamped our weekly menus to include more seasonal vegetables and fruits and have removed a lot of the sugar products from our pantry.  I have to keep some as my husband is diabetic.  If he goes into a diabetic low, a few lollies always help him retain balance.  They are just so darned attractive to my sugar cravings though! lol

I went on a bit of a card-drawing binge too.. pulling a card from nearly every deck that I own.  The result?  EVERY card stated that I was moving into a new expansion of my heart chakra; to release old energies to make way for the new; to get ready because big things were about to occur.  I'm excited!  This is just the energy shift that I wanted by starting this cycles project.

Namaste

November 12 and 13 ~ Home again, Home again, Jiggety Jig

Saturday was difficult to say the least.  I did not want to leave Melbourne as I had enjoyed the solititude of communion with Spirit during the Soul Activation Series.  Travelling ten hours by plane, trains and automobiles was not something to encourage communion. Or so I thought.

From the cocoon of love and communion, I was thrust into the maelstrom of human activity.  People were everywhere!  I could feel the cacophony of hurried emotions beating up against my own energy.  The old feelings of agoraphobia and anxiety welled up within me. This wouldn't do. I wasn't that person anymore.  I sat with my shadow side endeavouring to discover why this was happening.  It hit me ~ to feel love is to be love, to feel peace is to be peace.  O-kay.

So there I sat outside Melbourne's Tullarmarine Airport, cigarette in hand.  I breathed love into every cell of my body ~ through the smog, the noise and the rush around me.  Love swelled and expanded.  I visualised the love flowing out from each cell to everyone and everything.  My head lifted, my posture changed and I smiled at everyone.  There were quite a few started looks!

This connection and expansion carried me through the day until I arrived home. Here, 20 people from The Clan ~ Pipes on Fire, were gathered to rehearse for our upcoming concert.  Barely had I walked in the door before I became Caithe the Hostess and Caithe the Performer.  Those feelings of loving expansion receded in the noise of bagpipes, drums, coffee cups and dinner plates but they did not diminish.  I was home ~ it was lovely (and noisy!).

On Sunday, the Queensland heat announced the move into Summer with a vengence.  I know this heat well ~ muggy sunshine filling up the air with the promise of summer storms yet making it difficult to breathe.  I consciously had to take deeper breaths.

With the morning filled feeding 8 band members and more band rehearsals, there was little time to make my land connection that I craved.  The day flowed into connecting with my best friend and my precious god-daughter.  We sat in her fairy garden observing the changes that had been made while I was away from home.  Before I left, my friend (a talented Nail Techician) re-did my acrylic nails into black with iridescent green flecks.  This was to remind me of my heart chakra connection.

I came home, unpacked, washed, connected with family by telephone and announced that I was going into the garden.  Even if the sun set, I was determined to get out into the garden and connect.  My shoes were off and my feet connected with the grass. Oh bliss, bliss, bliss!  My feet had swollen over the weekend making them uncomfortable and bloated.  The coolness of dusk and the ground connection soothed them immeasurably.

My husband joined me to water our plants with our preciously horded rain water.  We discussed our time apart, the changes in our garden and our plans for the future.  Connection with land and with my partner ~ Magic!

I noted that the spring onions had flowered and were ready to seed.  The secretive clivia had finally blossomed underneath the crotons.  Three pineapple plants show signs of beginning to fruit while the silver beet, purple dwarf beans and peanuts are growing strongly. It will be a bumper crop this year.

As I weeded the garden, I felt the land coursing through my fingertips. My husband and I ate the sun-warmed, vine-ripened tomatoes ~ giving thanks to our garden for its productivity and fruits of our labour.  As we finished in the garden and the stars began to appear in the sky, a flock of Mickey birds flew into the paper bark tree above us, noisily making their roost for the night.  Mickey birds are also called Happy Families.

Oh I knew my family was. I am home.

November 9 ~ Harmonic Expression

Today is a focus on the throat chakra.  For a day focused on sound, I was surrounded by butterflies!  They were everywhere - in the environment, on people's clothes and my inner vision.  Their colours remind me of the activation that is happening this week ~ purples, blues and greens.  They speak to me of new birth, creation, new projects and new dreams.  <3 Magic <3

A storm brewed during the day providing impetus to expression!  The crack of thunder and lightning heralded a turning point as well as making me jump out of my skin!

November 8 ~ Nurturing our heart

A warm day here in Melbourne, Australia.  It reminded me of the warmth we feel within us when we feel nurtured, loved and supported.  Today's Soul Activation Series surrounded all of us with this loving, nurturing warmth.

While I was outside in the sun, I was visited by a magpie-lark.  The avian song held such beauty within its haunting tones.  The trill really touched me with joy.  I felt expanded and expansive.  The song felt like it went through my whole body and connected with Earth and Sky.

November 7 ~ Personal Power

This day within the Soul Activation Series focused on the solar plexus chakra.  It is a chakra that I use regularly but rarely focus my healing intention within.  The Temple of Balance Healers led us through an activation of this chakra and I was reminded of Harry Potter’s patronus.  We can manifest our personal power and project the strength of ourselves through this chakra at any time. 

Once again, Melbourne’s weather reflected the chakra through intense heat and sunshine today!  The crow was once again out and about.  During the day, I pulled the following cards from different decks ~ Bridging Heart and Throat; Regret; Deeper Look and Magic!

I feel that these cards reflected the manifestation of this chakra today: through regret for my past, I am able to acknowledge and release those emotions to create a bridge from my heart to throat chakras.

November 6

Emotions were high within the Soul Activation Series and in the local area.  The weather turned overcast ~ intermittent drizzle, heat and sunshine.  It reminded me of emotional highs and lows.  The focus for this day was on Re-creating our lives.  My mandala incorporated Celtic knotwork and the four directions.  The colours represented balance ~ night and day; work and play; masculine and feminine.

Morrigan’s magic was evident in the number of crows flying around today.  Crow speaks to me of trusting my own intuition and by always acting with personal integrity.  When I see Crow, I know that a situation is present where my ACTIONS must match my SPEECH and THOUGHT.  How perfect on a day of creation!

November 5

Located on the other end of our beautiful country, I feel almost a fraud for attempting to narrate the effects of a different climate and geographical location in terms of my Natural Year.  That said, this has been incredibly interesting to interpret.  Although 2000 km away, I feel my ‘home’ through the mountains located behind the Hotel.  These mountains, The Dandenongs, are a part of the Great Dividing Range.  The Great Divide travels along the Eastern side of Australia and can be seen a stones throw from my own home in Queensland.  Magic! <3

The flora is different yet the types are similar ~ the tiniest of daisies may be seen located throughout the grass and clover that coats the ground.  Agapanthus are beginning to flower at the front of the Hotel’s grounds.  I note that the eucalypts here have glossier and deeper green leaves..just waiting to blossom (and aggravating people’s sinus too!).

The Soul Activation series began today with the base chakra.  The thrum of the earth was strong beneath our feet.  Surprisingly, Melbourne had uncharacteristically hot weather!  The sun warmed my skin. ~ the activation begins within and without.  With the full moon rising in 5 nights, the energy of the people within the Hotel is already Luna-aligning due to the displacement from their own grounding source of home (my hypothesis anyway!).

November 4 ~ Manifesting Melbourne

Awoke to drizzle and mugginess, although as the day progressed it was quite difficult to know what was actually happening outside in the natural world.  A day spent in air-conditioned trains, planes and automobiles has made me feel quite disconnected and tired.  It’s amazing to see the pallor in the faces of the people around me.  Sunshine is such a vital part of our makeup.  We were meant to be amongst the trees and the natural environment.  Instead, we have developed an avid desire to be secluded and holed up within our own four walls.  Has technology really led us to believe that the connection we achieve through our technological devices will somehow eclipse our genetic makeup?  We need to stand in the sun, feel the breeze on our face, hear the song of the earth through our feet, our blood and our skin.

Our counterparts in the Northern Hemisphere are entering the season where many develop a disorder called SAD ~ Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Isn’t it interesting that our scientists have needed to come up with a fancy name to describe our need for sunshine?

November 3

Muggy and hot.  Australian weather in its ‘normal’ state.  I thought it might rain.  The ants were active enough and the kookaburra laughed but the clouds on the D’Aguilar Range were not dense enough to signify anything.  Time to water the garden and my vegie patch.  The lettuce, silverbeet, peanuts have all done very well in sprouting.  The beetroot, sweet potato and carrots are not fairing as well.  The tomatoes are almost ready to harvest as are the gooseberries.

Visiting a friend, who only lives 15 minutes away, I was taken aback by the vibrancy and colour of the bougainvillea within their garden.  I am also pleased to notice that the clover is thick and lush within our own yard.  My father, a beekeeper, was always excited when the clover grew as it meant a good crop of honey for the season.  To see the bees working this clover is just magical.  Firstly, it means that someone has hives within a kilometre radius of our house. Secondly, it means that our predominantly organic approach to gardening is paying off!

November 2

Overcast and cool enough today that I needed sleeves to cover my arms.   I feel an inner urge to focus on my health again and to ensure that my meditation and reflection time is scheduled firmly in my day.  As I drove into town today, I saw Flame Trees in bloom ~ their rednesss and vibrancy reminded me that the energy of the earth is flowing from the soil into the plants renewing them and giving them new life.

As I am departing for Melbourne in two days, I have this sense of urgency.  Although this is manifesting in the physical, I truly feel that it comes from within. A deep sense that my own personal renewal is about to get some fertilizer! J  Although my observations will be from a different state, I feel that they will be worthwhile to contribute as it reflects the environment that I am within!

November 1 ~ Spring has sprung

The first day of November and the celebration of Beltane began with clouds and rain!  How was I going to get my Beltane Tree painted and ready for the healing ceremony of this day?  Thankfully, the weather cleared by midday and I was able to complete the painting and decoration of my sacred tree.  The weather was quite muggy today by the afternoon, yet the temperature did not exceed 28 degrees.

The tree was painted Butterfly pink and decorated with crystals of the chakra colours.  People gave me names of loved ones or situations that required healing. These were then energetically placed within the white ribbons that decorated the tree.  It's a daily reminder that life, colour and healing flow throughout the universe.

Throughout my garden, I noticed that the Jacarandas and the Hibiscus are in bloom.   When the Jacaranda are in bloom in Australia, students are reminded that the final examinations for the year are underway.  

I’m excited and anticipative!  Is that a word? lol