Back in Brisvegas....

Well, it's been almost 7 months since I was last 'at home' and what a ride it has been. I've been back in Brisneyland a week now, and it's been a bit of a blur catching up on sleep, with people etc.

I feel incredibly grateful for this time and space to explore the world, and myself. I've met so many amazing people, and learned more about myself than I ever would sitting behind a desk bashing out some SQL code ;-)

During this time there have been so many things I have learned, realised and let go of. So much I have been holding onto that has not been serving me and has been brought forward for release...but of course this is always a work in progress.

It's amazing how things have come together during this time and how irrelevant some of the fears were that come up around this trip. I don't know what I will be doing two months from now, but I am ok with that. The universe has looked after me so far, and I'm sure, it will continue to do so.

Some realisations I've had along the way…

We hold onto so much fear in our lives, what will we do for a job, how will we find one in this economy etc, when really this is not even the system that supports us or gives us life. Where we place our thoughts, and our energy in this life is so important. There are so many belief systems we are holding onto that are not important, or even relevant, and we give so much time, energy and fear to these, essentially handing over our personal power to something that is not even real. In this time I've had many realisations in terms of how our thoughts and energies create our personal reality, and our need to be focusing our attention on what we want in life, not what we don't want.

I've become much more mindful of where my personal thoughts and energies are going, and am learning to take responsibility for this. I've come to appreciate myself far more, acknowledge my own skills and abilities and to started to accept and step into my own personal power, rather than continually looking for it elsewhere, or blindly accepting someone elses truth.

I've connected with some of the most amazing sacred, energetic sites around the world, and have reconnected with a deep sense of respect for the earth and the wisdom of the ancient cultures before us. Looking back it's difficult to imagine how much resistance I had towards this trip. It took a giant leap of faith for me to follow intuitive advice, pack up and leave for 6 months, not really knowing where I was going, or what I was doing.

In this time I've experienced so much beauty, beyond that which I could possibly have imagined prior to leaving. Not to say that this time has not been without it's challenges. So many times I have seriously questioned the sanity behind what I was doing, but from this I have learned so much. There is also something about visiting another culture where you do not speak the language. I became much more aware of the non-verbal interaction I was having with others, finding it a necessity to just give kindness unconditionally. Doing this opens the door for the same from others, and people are more willing to assist. So many times I experienced and appreciated unconditional kindness from complete strangers, people who went out of their way to assist me, a lone traveller in a country where I do not speak the language. For this I am very grateful.

I've also come home with a new perspective of our culture here in Australia, some things I've learned to appreciate, some things not so much. For instance;

•  I love that Australian culture is so informal, our relative lack of respect for so-called authority. The fact we can wear shorts and thongs in public, have visible tattoos, and for the most part, people don't blink an eye :-)
• Our 'twangy' accents...ouch. Very noticeable after being away for a while ;-)
• Whinging…seriously, I don't think we can continue to keep pointing fingers at the Poms for this. It is certainly a choice to complain, or to choose to do so in a constructive manner. We have so much in this country. I've met those who have so little in comparison, yet are so content, so joyful and just enjoy life, with gratitude for all they have.
• We are quite sheltered from other cultures here in Australia, and our relative isolation means as a population we are typically not very well traveled or versed in other cultures. It was quite an eye-opener visiting Europe where it is the norm to speak 3 or 4 languages…I felt very uneducated ;-)
• Some of the attitudes or intolerance we have in regards to other cultures. I was fortunate to experience so much kindness and generosity from others during this trip. I sincerely hope other tourists are treated the same way in Australia.

So anyway, for now I am back in Brisbane, but the journey is far from over. I am planning to move back to the UK soon, to the English countryside where my heart, resides :-)

There have been so many people here, back 'at home' whom I have thought of during my travels, and wished well from afar. Am hoping to catch up with as many of you as possible before starting on the next chapter of life. Much love to you all! :-)

Uluru

There is something about this huge rock in the middle of Australia has been drawing me in. The largest rock in the world, in the centre of one of the most ancient pieces of land in the world…how awesome is that? :-)

The cheapest option I found for a single traveler was a backpackers tour full of European 20-somethings. I think I was the oldest person on tour and the only Australian....at least I had the vegemite to myself ;-)

The tour started with a drive out to King's Canyon with a quick stop on the way to ride on a camel ;-)

At the camel farm ;-)

King's Canyon is a really lovely place. Not quite as pretty as the canyon in Kauai but really lovely and unique in itself. The 6.4 km walk around the canyon was enjoyable even in the drying heat.

King's Canyon

It was really beautiful to observe the three separate ecosystems that meet in this sacred site. It's no wonder this site was of such importance to the indigenous culture. They could always come here for food and water.

King's Canyon

After a night in a swag in the 5 million star hotel, we drove out towards Uluru. On the way we stopped at Mt Cooper, a flat-topped mountain in the desert.

Mt Cooper

On approaching Uluru I could feel it's amazing, unique energy, both neutral and activating in nature.

Uluru at sunset

We spent a few hours hiking around the rock. I throughly enjoyed connecting with the site and found the Kantju Gorge waterhole to hold a particularly beautiful energy...very peaceful space. It's easy to see why this was such a sacred site to the indigenous people.

It's suprising to see how much the landscape of the rock varies around the perimeter. Much of this is sacred to the indigenous people however and tourists are asked not to photograph these particular areas.

Uluru at sunrise

Lastly we stopped at Kata Tjuta, the 'Olgas'. Another amazing site but somewhat overshadowed in fame by Uluru. This one is a 'male' site and traditionally only initiated men would enter with females only entering with the presence of an initiated male. We have this tendency to consider the aborigines to be a patriacal society, however I learned this is not the case. The most sacred part of Uluru is an ancient birthing site, where males were not permitted.

The Olgas - Kata Tjuta from a distance

Hike to the valley of the winds - Kata Tjuta

Having visited and felt the prevailing energies, I can understand why these sites where segregated into male and female. For example, I feel awful around Mt Warning in Northern NSW, an ancient indigenous initiation site for men. Traditionally women would not have entered, understanding this was a 'male' site, just as the men would not have entered sacred 'female' sites.


Overall I enjoyed connecting with these sites. I have gained greater respect for the indigenous culture who have revered and maintained these sites for thousands of years, yet felt some minor frustration at how the culture only permits us to know of the childrens version of the dreamtime/creation stories. Clearly there is a much deeper level of understanding but this is only available to those who are initiated, ie handed down from grandparent to grandchild.

While I certainly respect this tradition, I wonder if we have reached a time where we are opened-minded enough to accept these stories/traditions…particularly when we may be in danger of losing this knowledge. Although these stories may seem strange to us, these people lived harmoniously in a difficult environment for many thousands of years; surely we can learn to respect their culture and beliefs that has enabled them to live sustainably, in a challenging environment, for such a long time.

Quite a ride this has been, last flight (for now) Alice Springs - Sydney - Brisbane :-)

Back in Oz

Well, it's been a long month in Bali. The yoga teacher training was quite intense, around 9 hrs a day, much of which was spent sitting on the floor attempting to absorb as much information as possible. It was quite challenging in ways I did not expect and there was a lot of 'stuff' coming up for people to be released. Overall, I think we all got a lot out of it :-)

Group yoga on the beach... :-)

I learned a lot about yoga, particularly about how it is an individual practice for exploring the potential of movement in body and connecting the body and conscious/unconscious mind through the breathe. Yoga is really is about taking what you learn about yourself on the mat and applying it in daily life.

Yes I have actually been doing some work ;-)

Post blessing ceremony at graduation

In attempting to leave Bali many of us encountered issues when due to numerous public holidays, our visa extensions had not been processed meaning our passports were held up somewhere in immigration :-(

Needing to reschedule my flight turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I was able to spend a couple of days learning some of the basics of Thai yoga massage…just about my favourite thing ever! :-)

Thai massage awesomeness! Finding my 'chill-asana' :-)

I have just arrived in Darwin, first time in Australia since February. First shock was paying $10 for a coffee and water……OMG!!! Will jump on a train to Alice Springs in the next few hours…off to see a giant rock in the middle of this island ;-)

Back in Bali

I am once again back in Bali and just love it here. On getting off the plane I was wondering why so many people where smiling, then I realised I was in Asia...sorry Europe! ;-)

First stop in Bali was to spend a few chilled out days in Ubud, the Balinese hub for artists, yogini's and health conscious folk. I spent some time detoxing, in attempt to help undo the damage I've done to my body traveling with missed nights of sleep, caffeine abuse, loads of refined carbs, you name it ;-)

As many of you would have experienced, the traffic here is crazy. I made the mistake of cycling around on a bike on my first day in Ubud and was almost taken by mopeds and cars during peak hour traffic.  I joined a posse of school children thinking there would be safety in numbers, only to realise my bike skills were no match for that of 8yo children and was promptly forced onto the footpath...lol :-)

I decided to ditch the exercise idea and hire a moped. I have no idea how Julia Roberts managed to look so elegant cycling around Ubud?

The locals here are very beautiful, kind people - I am continually amazed at their generosity. If spotted walking alongside the road, they are often happy to offer you a lift on the back of their moped, not because they are looking for a tip but just out of kindness. We could definately all learn something from the Balinese. The biggest problem here is the onslaught of tourists, mostly bogan aussie, that has almost destroyed the culture and beauty of this place. 

A few sites from around town...

Cremation ceremony

Beaming into the cosmos :-)

Temple at the monkey forest

'Water guardians' in the monkey forest

The Balinese place sarongs around sacred trees...cool :-)

Tempax Siring - amazing, sacred water temple. The local 'cleanse'
their spirit by bathing here on full and new moon.

Gorgeous! Tempax Siring

Tea/coffee tasting incl lowak coffee...the stuff pooed out by a small fluffy animal ;-)

Lake Batur...more volcanos :-)

Raw vegan treats at Alchemy cafe :-)

ROFL @ Alchemy :-)

Anyway, I am spending another month here in Bali, by the beach in Canggu for yoga teaching training. So far I am a week in and it has been an intense experience. My brain and body hurt. I am incredibly grateful for chocolate, massage and ocean swims right now...makes the process more bearable :-)

Prague, Czech Republic

I spend a couple of days in Prague, taking in the sights and ended up meeting a friend where we connected with some of the local energy centres :-)

This is quite a beautiful city, not like anything I've ever experienced. Everywhere you look there are all kinds of interesting even quirky old architecture. A few pics…

The astrological clock...wow!

Charles bridge

A procession of corvettes and harley davidsons. Why anyone would think the general public
wants to be forced into watching them driving their car is beyond me?

Another huge church :-)

Outside St Vitus cathedral

Overall Prague is a bit posh, but well worth a visit if you are in the area. While I was here I suspect there were a bunch of chemtrails being sprayed. Not cool.

Chemtrails?

Anyway, next stop is Bali. Last minute flight changes have turned this an epic 2 day transit extravaganza with a stopover in Dubai and a night in Kuala Lumpur.

Germany

I spent just a few days in Germany visiting a friend in Bochum. Here I spent much time sleeping, eating, checking out the local area, and also managed a visit to Cologne.

The area around Bochum contains the remnants of a lot of industry, mostly mining. Some of which have been converted into parkland which makes for some quirky artwork such as this lightshow we visited...

Unfortunately my tiny camera flash couldn't capture much else :-(

Cologne is also a beautiful city surrounding a huge gothic cathedral with many, many tourists.

Another huge church! :-)

Hopefully all the stairs to the rooftop of the cathedral helped to work off all the cake, gelati, beer, chips and chocolate consumed throughout the day ;-)

Things that are awesome about Germany…

• The trains. The standard trains have two levels, are generally on time, and the high speed trains can get up to 300km/hr…nice. I caught one of these on my way to Prague :-)
• The beer. Enough said
• The cake. Europeans seriously know how to make cake, and black forest cake, in Germany, made me very happy :-)
• Knoppers - kind of like German tim tams :-) --thanks for the link Markus ;-)
• Laughing at random funny German stuff, such as this.

And no doubt many other things I have missed.

It is probably a good thing that I was only here a few days, as I could leave while my clothes still fit…just ;-)

Into the heart of the earth

After heading back to the UK I spent a week or so in the woods of West Sussex for some much needed R&R. The English woods incredibly beautiful, not like anything I've seen in Australia. They have a certain magical, fairytale-like quality, almost as though a gnome or fairy could emerge at any moment to say hello :-)

Here I participated in a week long course encompassing shamanic journeying, various energy practices (chi gong etc), exploring natural movement, bush survival skills and so on.

This was a lot of fun. During the course we built a natural survival shelter from sticks and leaves and each spent a night sleeping inside.

Hello! :-)

We also spent some time wearing blindfolds around the woods, practicing expanded awareness. One night we sat in the woods until nightfall, and made our way back to camp in the dark. I was surprised at how much fear came up initially but gave into it, relaxed and really enjoyed myself. There was a lesson learned here in letting go of the need to know where I'm going ;-)

Anyway, it was a great week, lots of fun and decided to chill out for a while afterwards and visit some sacred sites in the area. On the way back from Glastonbury we stumbled across this crop circle…

Crop circle, not the greatest picture I know

For those of you who may not know about crop circles, they appear in this part of the UK every summer, often around 60 or so each year. They have been known to appear inside of 20 minutes and the crops are not killed in the process, rather the stalks are bent. Very interesting. This is a good site for more info :-)