Monthly Archives: April 2014

Time flies when you are having fun…

Coaching, Education, Hypnotherapy, Life balance, networking, , , , ,

I thought it was just a few weeks since the last update and was surprised to find that it has been a couple of months….

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThere have been a number of projects on the go, the largest being the preparation of a country retreat.

It is being developed as an eco-friendly place and will be very much “back to basics” with an organic/permaculture overlay. With quite a lot of work to do, including fencing and weed removal, it is anticipated that it will take a little while longer before it is officially open to guests.

The scrub being cleared is highly flammable, so not a desirable feature and hopefully it will break down into good mulch.

A labyrinth is under construction in a previously cleared area and should be completed for day visitors to walk in time for the Winter Solstice.

Additional projects underway are:

  • some collaborations with other Hypnotherapists and we hope to see some exciting new therapy options to come out of these discussions
  • the revival of the Melbourne Chapter of IACT, (International Association of Counsellors and Therapists) with meetings scheduled to be held on the 2nd Monday of each month (unless there is a public holiday).

 

Building the labyrinth

Animal totems, Earth Day blessing, Easter, Energy, labyrinth, Orbs
This is the fourth labyrinth I’ve constructed – each one has been constructed a little differently, but all have been started using the Easter energies.
I wasn’t going to get too carried away with string lines or marking paint, so it was started by laying the rake down on the ground and digging a shallow trench along side and a little past it, until the central cross was formed. 
I started fairly early in the morning (of Good Friday) and the outline progressed reasonably well as the soil was still a little soft from recent heavy rains. 
Stopping every so often to observe the traffic passing by, presumably others on their way to camping in the local state Forest, gave me some rest time. As I continued digging the outline, it became obvious that it was going to be a little larger than the previous efforts and I did consider stopping at 5 rings…but then I thought “Why play small? There’s a whole 40 acres to play in!!” 
It’s a 7 ring left handed labryinth….. Left sided entry as that is the feminine side .. and to the East is a small circle of trees, where I plan to put some seating so that people can reflect on their experience.
Being a little larger than I expected, a couple of young gum trees were on the path & I haven’t the heart to cut them down. I will prune the lower branches so they don’t intrude too much as people walk past. I was hoping to finish the outline in one day, but the heavens opened up and I dashed for shelter in the cottage. Shortly afterwards, visitors arrived and with plans to go into Rushworth to see the Easter Parade on Saturday, it would have to wait. 
In the end, I had to wait until Monday, as when I had a little time to myself on the Sunday, the dogs were intrigued by the digging activity and were more of a hindrance than a help. The south eastern side was a little difficult to dig as I struck gravel and I had some time out to chat to the neighbour and her daughter as they came to the boundary fence with their dogs, curious about what I was doing.
With more visitors arriving sometime over the following Anzac Day weekend, I took some more lavender up to plant in the soil turned over by the outline. Work also started in raking up the remnants of slashed scrub off the pathway and removing a fine layer of topsoil in order to level the pathway out. I started in the centre, but decided to work where the whim took me… Having counted out the steps from the start to the centre the previous week, I knew I was in for a big job. 
Using the pedometer on the smart phone, there are 514 steps from entry to exit. I calculated that I would have put the shovel into the ground over 2500 times to mark the outline!

The lavender seemed to have survived transplanting and the kangaroos, so I gave it a drink of water and hope that it continues to thrive.

The visitors arrived Friday and we spent time catching up on the news of their exploits and travels over the last 2 years.

Saturday was another fine day and whilst the men rode their motorbikes over to Maldon to meet up with old friends attending the All British Rally, I headed into Rushworth to pick up some bread and milk. Couldn’t resist stopping at the local plant nursery and checking out their plants. 2 punnets of sage caught my eye and I was given both for the price of one as they looked a little sad. Back at the block, they were removed from their pots and the pot bound roots meant that they could be cut into 2 …. now I had 4 plants!
On waking Sunday morning, I was able to see a large family of kangaroos feasting on the grass in the paddock.
I did wonder if their taste ran to either lavender or sage, but on getting to the labyrinth to do a sunrise walk, found all plants intact.
Setting the intent to allow answers to a problem that I couldn’t seem to resolve, I began my walk.
I got to the centre and spent some time there in contemplation… it didn’t seem like the answer would come, so I began my walk out, thinking to just enjoy the moment.
A wagtail caught my eye as it danced around the surrounding bushes.  
Wagtail meaning …Extroversion. Cheerfulness and gregariousness. Anger and irritability. Friendliness. Curiosity. Socializing. Appealing to others. Effectively maintaining your space and home.

 As I made my exit from the labyrinth, I realized that the answers had come… so I began my return to the cottage and thoughts of breakfast… when I turned and decided to take a photo of the labyrinth. There seemed to be something that caught my eye, but gone when I focused….Returning to the cottage, a flash of red, then 2 more…. red capped robins were in the trees at the front of the cottage.
Red-Capped Robin meaning …The best and brightest, wariness, setting boundaries with other people, inflexibility, faring better in more open environments, preferring to stay away from the hustle and bustle, needing quieter spaces, staying grounded.
Only when I was uploading the photos did I find that I had some orbs in the photo. 

Interesting energies

abundant rainfall, Animal totems, Energy, Hare., Orbs, repairing fences, yabbies

Recently, I was fortunate to spend some time alone at the block… more of a spiritual retreat than “doing stuff”. With the 2nd New Moon in March creating some interesting energies leading up to the astrological events in April, I did a lot of Reiki and meditation.
Vivid dreams, as always, while I am up there and after discussion with a friend who is a gifted psychic and medium…. a tapping into the past……. remembering that the area was very busy in the 1800’s during the Gold Rush.
The weather dictates when the physical chores are scheduled. Too hot (& with the bushfire risk) and we will stay home and likewise with a recent week of rain forecast for the area, it seemed prudent to stay home and out of the mud!

This trip was very much a “might have a day trip or might stay overnight” ….. & ended up an overnight stay.
Time to clear the front fence of fallen trees and prop up the aged and rotting wooden posts in some semblence of order.
Michael manned the chainsaw and I stacked wood as we drove along the front fenceline.
Lots of wood for the wood heater yet to be bought!
There had been a lot more rain than we thought and both dams were full to capacity and had been flowing down to the neighbour’s across the road as well.
Both dams had a chorus of bullfrogs and some other frogs as well …. always a sign of a healthy dam, except that frogs often mean snakes….which we didn’t see!
We did throw in the yabby net and caught 2 large yabbies, which were put in a bucket overnight to purge themselves of the mud…..
and in the morning  there was one……
overnight there had been some ferocious yabby wars and the victor had completely severed the claw off its companion and had started feasting on it.
The bucket was taken back to the dam and the remaining yabby returned to it’s habitat for another day …until we work out how to catch and purge multiple yabbies without them killing each other before they get to our cooking pot!
The net was brought in and four more large yabbies were released and returned to the water.

Those who know me, will be aware of my interest in orbs.
I’m slowly building up a collection of photos as they reveal themselves to me.
Occasionally I catch a glimpse of “something” without the camera, but down at the bottom dam a series of photos managed to capture a few images, whilst the following photos taken immediately afterwards, show nothing.
 To me, these images are special – a confirmation that the spiritual energy of the land is happy. I feel very comfortable in this place and was further delighted when, on my wanders to find the most suitable spot to build the labyrinth, a large hare jumped out of the bushes!