Finishing up!

Hi Everyone..I cant handle all of these blogs... just too many. Not enough brilliant things to say...SO, I am only going to stick to one which will now be my "Lucky Psychic" blog for which there is a link on the Sacred Elements facebook page or click here:
 http://blog.luckypsychic.net/

please find me there and become a follower.... see you there!

Happy 20th Wedding Anniversary!

Yes its been a massive 20 years!
Wow - we made it...as I sit here typing, both hubby and baby girl are stuck in bed shivering with high temps and lethargic and totally feeling like shit and I am staying far away so that I do not catch anything before my big function on the weekend..
Very selfish, but needed - I just cannot afford to be ill.

Husband has had a very rough trot over the last few years - he seems to get out of one thing and then something else happens.He has been off work for over three months with a shoulder injury suffering from pain every day.

At least we are not looking down the barrel of something worse - we faced that little saga a few years ago when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. But he sorted that one out...and he will get through this new set back too. It just takes time.

I have not held down a proper job in years having my own issues with neck problems, so fair is fair - now its his turn to be sick and needing recovery time and for me to shut up and be supportive.

But, it goes to show we are getting older and less flexible and healthy and priorities are changing as we cling to some sort of quality of life over quantity.

Its just not about stuff and accumulation - I will leave that up to the kids to do - that is their cycle - for us its about trying to get quality and comfort from what we have without busting a gut to get anymore.

It is only a blink of an eye and we will be sitting in some nursing home ourselves, wandering what the hell we are doing there and who the hell are all of the strange people around us.....

I am eternally grateful to my husband for his support over the past 24 years of our relationship - we have had many ups and downs. I admit to having my own very personal set of "issues"...things that I contend with on a daily basis sometimes.

And he has put up with it all - all of my wierd ideas and strange requests, my years of excessive working trying to make ends meet with three jobs at a time, my guilt for not ever feeling like I have done enough, my vain attempts at making my life successful in some valid way, my taking on so many different jobs and ideas and saying that "this is going to work - this time ". Now, one of the biggest changes of all with taking on a business in such an obscure area and working at it for sometimes 12 hours a day and yet not bringing in a red cent to keep the boat afloat...
this man is a saint..
and I am so grateful that he is my saint...
Sorry, my love, for all of my insanity over the last 20 years. If you had put a pillow over my head at some stage in the first few years of our relationship you would have done your time twice over and be out of jail...but you have managed to put up with it all and can still make me laugh until I cry.
Just get well my dear and stay well...I need your strength.

Its Psychic Events week...

Well in a few days we will see whether this was a good idea or not, eh!
It has been worth a try, especially for getting others out there and letting them share what they know - our role in all of this is actually very small. We will dissappear into the background of the day and just make sure things go smoothly and now that John will go "big time" from next year ( we stand to lose him doing anything like this again ) -  he will be doing the hour mediumship sessions so it will be a good opportunity to further his career too. All the stall holder will have to really get in there and talk and spruike their products - I so hope people buy and mingle and it all goes like a treat...for us, it will be about the advertising and getting ourselves out there in the great wide world...
We have made some unusual choices - its not a standard event and people have had to pay for a ticket to get in - we will also only have a few readers instead of a bucket load so that all the readers get a fair shot at making some money. We have chosen not to charge a lot for the stall holders so that it is worth their while and their time.We will have gift bags with discounts and stacks of brochures and that is what actually makes me the happiest - the ability to share other's info -
Of course the old fear and tensions of whether an event will come out ( for the sake of everyone involved ) is what is sitting over my head this week...I hope Fortuna decides to be favourable to us!
Wish us luck....

Ok its official - I HATE THE COMPUTER!

So, my brain is still in the 1950's!
So I cannot work out how to do anything but the simplest of tasks..the rest can go and get stuffed I say..
I can spend hours on this stupid thing and still be no farther along..lying bastards who keep telling me that "this stuff is so easy"...
"just click on this link and then go there"......yeah right..
I click on the freaking link and it brings up a minefield of garbage that I dont understand that I am supposed to get through before I can get to the next step......
Liars!
Its not "so easy"
"anyone can do it"...bullshit!!
anyone who was born after 1990 might be able to, but this old bird just cannot talk to a machine....
I need explanations..real explanations...not another bloody link to another page..to another link to another page....
and it is such a time waster...ok...
so facebook is about my limit...but twitter, linkedin, myspace, ??????
I wont have time to go to the bloody toilet let alone lead a normal life if I am on that all day long....and then I find I am compelled to see who has messaged...who has looked...who is ignoring..oh and I must send messages too, I must "like" or write cryptic messages or be intelligent or funny....for Christ's sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How did we live before all of this?
And I am so told that I NEED TO BE ON ALL OF THIS AND MORE.......I need to sell and buy on line, I need to advertise and create a  flow of  "friends"...to all of my sites or my life will be total shit...
Well, right now I am over it............

when was the last time YOUR house phone actually rang?
this is all just too hard..................................................................................

Talk about world between the worlds!

Back from the Nursing Home - mum is deteriorating fast.
She no longer walks nor wants to.
She eats very little and is just skin and bone.
She did not recognise me today - at all.
Although I think she was trying to - it just didnt happen.
Thats ok - I knew it would get to that!
She has had her false teeth removed ( for her own safety I guess ) so all food is now mush.
She drinks from a kiddy cup.
She wears a nappy and really does not talk except for half sentences.
Today she was quite vital and awake but mostly she sleeps slumoed over in her wheelchair.
I dont think she can even realise that the sun is shining outside the big glass doors in the room where she sits with the others.
The angels sing and call them all - you can see them listening and waiting....
I am looking at the shell of a former lively competent person who was my mother.
I held her hand and stroked her hair and felt that there was no real need to talk.
The vacancy in the eyes was the hardest to take - just no longer being there...being somewhere in between..
Surrounded by strangers and strange things...being pumped full of medication and mushy potatoes and soup.
Exisiting in a bubble. Is there really a lesson in all of this?
For me a visit "there" is always somewhat life changing - you come back skewed - like you have been knocked off your axis.

The more things change - the more they stay the same

Some things and people just dont change..they just put in a different mask.
They pretend to be different just to hook you in...just to get you interested...but after a while you get the hint that its just the old being wrapped up in a new package...ho hum.
At least you know what to expect.

Happy Fathers Day

I have been fatherless for four years now - I guess at 52, dad no longer played a major role in my life - I did more for him in his last years. That was ok.
I felt it my duty.
But it was very hard to be connected. Dad was always a person to keep his distance.
What did I want from a dad?
Someone who encouraged me, wanted to spend time with me, saw me as a valuable person who had her own opinions worth hearing and discussing.
I wanted a dad who I felt loved me and who supported me.
What I got was somewhat different.
I got a displaced and damaged soul.
Someone who had been removed from family, friends and his homeland.
A man who was forced to leave everything and married a woman who he really did not like.
I got a man who had suffered terrible injuries during the war that left him in daily pain. A man who was set in his ways and would not risk anything for anyone.
A man who never changed. I got a dad that worked afternoon shift at a local factory ( 2pm to 11pm ) so I really only ever saw him on weekends.
Weekends were taken up with doing adult stuff that my mother wanted to do with no consideration to what I wanted - I just tagged along - quietly.
Oh, also going to church - we did a lot of church.
Dad was either quiet or shouting...I dont remember in between. I know there were some moments of closeness - I have photos - but that stopped when I got to about 8 or 9 years old.I rememebr the back of his hand occassionally when I back chatted.
When we moved to Rutherford the distance grew. Then by High School there was a grand canyon between us - he saw me as a money pit - I needed money for school, excursions, books and clothes. My life was spent wearing St Vinnies second hand clothes. Mum worked for about 6 months of her life. That was it. It was all too much and she would never work again except as a volunteer within her community which she did ever single moment that she had available.
Dad was not a social person but he was dragged along to every event my mother decided needed to be in our lives. She wanted fun - dad wanted peace, quiet and solitude.
Where did I fit in?
I didnt.
I was a bit of a mistake...oops!!!

But dad worked hard, even though he hated it.
He provided for us and if I was lucky I got to share some time, in a round about way with both mum and dad.
Dad, you were a grumpy bastard and I remember asking you for help on more than one occassion to have you laugh in my face - that was soul destroying.
But you were my dad and every child wants their dad to love them - so did I.
I was there holding your hand when you passed.
I was there for you - that it the least that I felt I should have done.
Do I miss you?
Not really - there was no realtionship to miss.
But thats ok. I am just stating the facts. this is how it was - and on Fathers Day I remember.
But I dont have any issues anymore - I am screwed in some ways but arent we all.
Because of you - I am here now and have opportunities to make the most of what I can.
That is what I am eternally grateful for - if I stuff it up now...its my fault. Not yours.
I will see you again someday.
Till then, Happy Fathers Day!I remember you!

Weird dream

Ok... I had a real "Medium"moment last night when I woke at 2am last night not knowing where in the hell that I was and then put a dream together that I had just had.
It is probably an overactive mind having watched too much tv - but I thought I'd write it down for my own reference.Maybe somewhere in the future it will drop into place.
I was the perpetrator - it was happening through my eyes. I was male and I was shit scared.
I had hurt a small child/ or the child had been hurt while in my care.
The child had suffered a head trauma via a hit or a fall - I dont really know.
It was an accident - thats how I saw it.
I think I had been either drinking or had been taking drugs cause I couldnt remember how it happened - all I know is that I took the child back to its mother in a total panic and I was saying sorry and that it would all be ok.
I think that I thought that the child was still alive. The mother was screaming at me - how could I have done this!
I kept on saying that it was going to be ok.
Then I heard what I thought was a Police car or someone comming to get me - the mother told me to run out the back door and that she would "keep em talking".
I hid in the bushes and tried to run down the street so I wasnt seen.I didnt get far. I was paralyzed with fear.
I was so scared - it was terrifying.
Thats when I woke up - my heart pumping and in complete disorientation for a few minutes.
Phew.....I told hubby about it who told me to go back to sleep and dream Part Two...but it didnt happen.

Its been five years!

Its been five years since my dad passed away after having broken his hip in the front yard of his house and deteriorating in hospital over the next few weeks.Those weeks were terrible and I really did think that he would be coming home at the end of it, even if we would have had to make dramatic changes to help him get around the house. But that didnt happen.
I have not had one feeling of connection from him since then - not a sign, maybe a rare dream on occassion, but no appearances, no signs, no voices, nothing.
A few mediums have said that he is around me all the time - one being Kelvin Cruikshank from "Sensing Murder "when I was attending one of his workshops last year..so I would trust that dad is there.
But I dont feel him. I just dont.
I know, that if as spirit he is whole again, then he would be flying off somewhere ( having been in the airforce during the War ), feeling free and being by himself - he was a very solitary man not ever being comfortable in crowds or in social situations.
By the end he had really had enough and I know that he did see his spirit family come for him by his last words. No one ever dies alone.
Wow...five years. Thats such a long time. What have I achieved over that time?
Have a done things that I have really wanted to do? Do I feel good about my life?
Important questions, because when we are facing our own end we will have to review our opportunities and we better have few regrets.

memories

So many people I have spoken to this week can search their memory banks and remember when Newcastle was a thriving metropolis 'with class' (yes...believe it ) when the family would come in to town on the bus and get off at THE STORE, then they would walk up to the Mall, past all the shops ( yes, they were all trading ) up to either Wynns or David Jones for lunch at the exclusive eateries or  further up to the italian "new fangled" cappucinno cafe shops - shit I remember that - my favourite used to be where the Flight Centre shop now is and we would slide in behind the table and order off the menu.
wow.....I can remember a cappucino cost $1.23...
Having a coffee and cheescake ( they were the best ) at either DJ's or Wynns was the highlight of the week for us middle class families and going into town took a whole day - it was an expedition.You dressed up.
Everyone I have spoken to remembers the most fondest of memories of a Newcastle that has disappeared.
Dancing at the Jolly Rodger or the Palais till 3am or going to the coffee shops down on the west end opposite the Newcastle Workers...or on Darby street ( Hunter st end - was it called Seri's??? ) God those were the days...and they are my memories...those that I have spoken to dig deeper and talk about stuff that had gone by the time I travelled Hunter st.
What a pity - we are the second oldest city in Australia to have been settled. Our city centre has so much history and it is now going to go belly up because of people who cannot make a decision to save their lives.I have been hearing about change for Newcastle since before the earthquake.
Save our City?
It may be too late..
who is going to give a rats about Newcastle city centre when we are building the eighth wonder of the world at Charlestown! Oh so many ways to spend your hard earned dollar with FREE 3 hour parking.

and the thumping goes on..

Its 11 pm and our beloved neighbours are in the throws of one very loud teenage party. I can see it being a very long night. Guess it does not happen too often so we are lucky in that respect, but its a bit of a shock when it does cause our general neighbourhood is so quiet.Wonder whether someone will complain shortly about this horrible noise? Big girl has just been dropped into town for a night out with the girls so I wont see her till morning and the man is at a work "do" - so mum is on one computer and baby girl is on the other upstairs - mmm...sharing quality time together?????
I really just need to go to bed - still tired and have a big day tomorrow.
A mini workshop to do and then setting up for a sale at Wallsend with you know who.

Our full moon ritual tonight was wonderful - all the possoms came closer than ever before, even heading under our table, between our legs - not frightened at all. They must be used to us now.It is wonderful to experience a ritual outdoors and so often we cant get to do it because of bad weather - we are lucky that the park is quiet because its still cold but during the summer periods we will have to find another spot....I will miss the possums.
Wait...its quiet....
Did I hear the volume get turned down?????
No, I was wrong - they just changed tracks............bugger.............

Officially very tired

Thank goodness I get to sleep in tomorrow as I really need it - had the most wonderful day listening to guest speakers that were just so positive and uplifting...( and not one word about the election ).
All these women bearing their souls, their hardships and their dreams - inspirational women and men too,who had been through the mill and were now leaders in their chosen fields. The topics always came back to this, "You can do it - dont be a victim".
I wish that so many more women who really needed to hear all of this had been there - it was like talking to the converted really..Most of us where people already working within the community and striving in their own businesses, but I am sure that so many more women who currently feel in such a slump or who feel that they have no options, would have found today a turning point in their lives - thats how good it was!

Big baby girl coming home tomorrow

My big girl comes home for four days tomorrow - she is having a break from work and also seeing some friends who will also be coming home for the same weekend...so I will probably only see glimpses of her as she flits in and out the door and gets busy socialising.
While my little baby girl is going to give blood for the very first time at the end of this month - how brave!
She gets to have the rest of the day off school and I think this is her main reason for doing it - although she has tried to convince me that it is not.
whatever the reason - I applaud her and her friends for doing this wonderful thing.
I dreamt about Kevin Rudd last night - very wrong....too much political campaining,we have had our fill of this rubbish...it is invading my sacred space.....hurry up weekend and get this over with.

Exhausted brain..

Suffering from brain melt down at the moment.
What a weekend....spiritual overload.
There was a really great crowd at this weekend's psychic fair at Nelson Bay. Two full days - two days of selling, readings and being on the ball. Two days of giving advice and promoting our business.
Not easy ...hours of preparation, packing, getting there at the crack to set up...mugs of coffee to stay awake, buying to much and spending more than I will make............  and lots of talking.
Then packing up and doing it all over again the next day.
So...I am a bit tired tonight.
Last week I was putting in 10 hour days...yes...10 hour days...this spiritual stuff IS hard work.My family has forgotten what I look like.
 but..it all went very well with great feedback and wonderful for our little fledgeling business.
As always..none of this is bankable or guaranteed, so you take it when it comes and are very grateful for support and opportunity.
In the end, I AM doing what I love, and I do not forget that for one minute..and if I am tired it means that I have worked hard and that I have achieved something..thats what hard work brings.

Oh the wind...

Stopping myself from just saying crap ...so writing and deleting, writing and deleting...really there is no need to write CRAP that will serve no purpose to anyone.
There is enough crap with this election - does anyone really believe what they say and promise anymore?
Why do they bother???
Both sides are just as bad as each other...full of shit and empty promises. Full of empty talk.....and most of us are just as bad...full of empty talk...
so the wind stirs up emotions and brings about crazy, unsettled energy...time to concentrate.

Mary McKillop Day

Today, 8th August, is Mary McKillop Day. I guess the only positive thing I have seen in this papacy is the fact that they finally agreed to make her a saint, although I dont know if that terminology sits well with me. Maybe "saint like" or "saintly"? I am sure she would have not wanted this title, nor was she looking for it. Mary spent most of her time being excommunicated and fighting the higher church powers. Naughty, feisty Mary...

and as much as the mantle she wears is a Christian one she has been close to my heart for over 23 years which is about the time she first entered my life. So she has come along for the ride at Sacred Elements and is a patron - we honour her strength and her determination and her willingness to serve.

Mary reminds me of a nun that taught me in high school - her name is Sister Mary Ellen ( or hairy melon ). She was our class teacher for 3 years and very un - nunlike...stacks of fun - I imagine Mary McKillop to have been much like Mary Ellen. Blessings to you Mary!

I hate shopping malls!

I hate them because I have to spend time working in them - all day long, and I see too many things that I dont wish to see.
Like people coming in to shop in their pyjamas?
Whats that about?
Or in smelly filthy clothes that stink of sweaty armpits..
and thats not to mention the heaving smells encountered in public toilets...what is it that people eat that make public toilets smell SO BAD????
I know my shit stinks too.....but I actually try to keep that activity for the privacy of my own home..if I can...
some people feel the need to share, obviously...gee thanks.
Or people yelling at each other while they are standing at opposite ends of the mall.
Go home and yell guys!
Or people JUST wasting so much food...
Is coffee the new addiction?
Is it what has gone in place of ciggies?
I see the same people come in every day for a coffee and cake - EVERY DAY, seven days a week.
If you are to be in business, then can I suggest SELL COFFEE........
I hate all the energy I pick up...it can leave me very hyper or very tired.
I like quiet and peace and small amounts of people at a time......
This is not what you get in a mall.....
no, not a relaxing place at all...
uh uh...
Get me out of here...........

When the old bones creak and ache

its time to admit that age is creeping up!
Yes the old joints have been giving me curry over the last few days with this cold snap and wild weather I feel like bits of me belong to someone much older...
I am finding myself thinking that a little bit of warmer weather would suit me right now.
As for exercise...there will be none of that!
Although lord knows I need it but its far too cold and I am just too lazy - yet again I will use the excuse that when it warms up a bit I will be out there doing laps of the street yet again in a vain attempt to gain control over my spreading posterior.
I will be glad when this week is over as it has been full on  - but knowing my luck something is going to be lurkng just around the corner making sure that my idle hands do not become the devils playthings...

A weekend of good and bad

I think I learnt as much from my good experiences this weekend as I did from my bad - and I did have both.
There is something to be said about experiencing rude and arrogant characters who treat you like crap. You learn that you dont have to take ( but that somethimes you do ) that and that you would not do the same to others, especially in a professional scenario.
Also I learnt about networking and the value of putting yourself in a situation where you are asked questions and you really DO need to know the answers.
At our last career coven class we discussed just how well we all really know what we do and what we stand for...yet placed in this same situation where I had to explain myself, I found it rather hard - so, in fact, I discovered that my ideas about what it is that I do have changed and I need to find a way to talk about it when asked without falling over my words in the process.
Public speaking is a challenge  - I get rather nervous but to see some very passionate people speaking about their skills and modalities with such emotion and dedication was a wonderful opportunity.
Thanks to the Hunter Business Centre - we are now part of the Wellness Web in Newcastle!

What is the most precious thing that we own?

The most precious thing that we own is OUR TIME..
This was bought home to me yesterday when someone said, "thank you for giving me some of your time"... and this morning I began to think just how precious TIME really is.
How we dont seem to have much of it - yet the day has not grown any shorter, but we seem to have much less of it now...we are stretched to breaking point.
We worry about time "catching up"or "losing time" or living in the "now"or living in the "future"or in the "past"....we are said to be "time poor"....
We give our time gratefully or .....begrudgingly. We dont have time to enjoy ourselves.
We, more often than not, say..."I just dont have the time" and spend our lives running from one thing to the next not really enjoying any of it.
We dont have time to meditate, to sit and contemplate our navel...to read a book or just to talk...to talk properly by actually sitting with someone and looking them in the eyes and connecting.
Its all about "quick"....facebook, email, text..........................
fast...dont connect...dont look ...dont think....is it really that unusual that we are all disappearing"into the great melting pot of humanity and become "just another cog in the wheel"? Our only identity is that which we can identify with on a facebook page....but do we actually exist in the real world...

Do I have time to fit in my own family into my busy life?
Do I have time to actually enjoy and remember what I had for breakfast?
DO I have time to spend with a friend who is grieving?
And why should I be thanked for giving something that really costs nothing????......my time!
Has it become such a precious thing that it now has this unforseen value - that I have to pick and choose who gets a piece of it?
Do I have to be thanked when I do give it away?
Yet, I also thank people for their time - it seems to be a gift to get some. It is a rareity.
Consider.................
Give the gift of time to someone you love TODAY.

Tentative steps in a new direction

Always there is fear when moving in a new direction - sailing into unchartered territory with no previous experience as a guide.
I am learning to just think one step at a time - slowly and easily although, as a master Libran, I have a great talent for over thinking and creating many scenarios for each situation before they happen ( possibly never happening ).
So many things that I am wanting to do right now...but with mum having another seizure yesterday...I am drawn back to the inevitability that this time is about her and that where my thoughts should be....
this is part of my unchartered territory too....

Feedback from far away makes me think...

This whole business of spiritual business can really do your head in at times.
Everyone has an opinion on how you should be running yours, whta importance it should have in your life and how dedicated you need to be, and when that commentary comes from another country it is an unusual feeling.
Lucky that I am not jaded enough yet to still appreciate that everyone has a right to their own opinion - and sometimes what may sound negative can actually be quite helpful if you dont take it personally but put it in perspective. Not always easy...
So some comments thrown my way this week have been noted and appreciated and have left me to ponder their importance in what I am doing.
When you open yourself up to asking for, or getting, advice its a bit wrong to then say "stick it up your arse" when it is given...after all you did ask for it in the first place.
Have a good one..

Witches scry over spilt milk....

Change is an unsettling thing. It gets us out of our comfort zone from feeling, "Oh, I know whats going on here, I have a handle on it" to a sense of a loss of that percieved control.
Each upheaval is hard but we are still able to be practical "Players"in the big game of life"....
I sat with my mum yesterday, feeding her, because she was no longer sure what a piece of bread was, and she had forgotten that she could walk.
I watched her eyes flick around the room trying to understand what was goin on around her. I sat and thought that whatever she had ever wanted to have happen in her life...now it was too late.It was TOTALLY beyond her control.
I spent a moment hoping for recognition and it came, but then it went and so all that was left were hugs.
Change comes to all of us - sometimes devastating us to the core, but while there is still a glimmer of opportunity to think, understand and maybe move forward...then you should do so... the day might come when really, truely....you no longer can.
I wish you well...

So what are YOU thinking about today?

Just a question!.....
is it validating, enriching and worth spending your time on?
Is it rational and does it teach you anything?
Today I think about the changes within my life over the last twelve months....what I have lost and what I have gained.What others have lost and what others have gained. How all of this has effected me.
I think about truths and un-truths, about other people's pain and my own.
Some days are just sorting days...moving things around the old bowl of grey matter so it can assimilate and not corrupt or cause blockages and dysfunctions that could really stuff things up.
Constantly turning back, to check, to see the created void seems like watching history just repeat itself over and over.
When one war stops another just seems to start.

Sleeping off a flu..

Ok..so, I need some herbal tabs and some extra sleep and I will get over this sore throat and chesty cough in a flash. It was inevitable both little sweet pea daughter and work mate had viral gooblies ....but through flashes of hot and cold...I will battle on.
Mum has stabilised and is back at the nursing home..will be off for a flying visit next week. Must see for myself.

Here we go...

Mum had another turn yesterday...she was ruched to Blacktown emergency, unconsious after having had a seizure.
She is now ok and will be in hospital for a few days to be monitored, I guess...but the horrid question of, "do we revive"...if anything should go wrong....
Awful dilemma.
Something that can play with your mind, but I have done a lot of thinking about it and so I was fully prepared to answer that one.
Still not a pleasant place to be put or to think about or to have to be the one to decide.
On the other hand....in the spirit of giving back to the Community we are going to be organisisng a team to walk in the "Relay for Life" this year - at Glendale Sports Centre in November.
We need women to stand up and raise money and be a part of this fantastic event - to be a part of our team.
If you feel like joining us please let me know. There is only a small fee of $15 to sign up and that gets you a
t shirt and security and entertainment on the night...each woman has to raise $100 minimum but we actually want to raise lots more.....come on guys..we are brilliant at raising money...let me know if you are in!

Keeping up the Momentum

Do you have a "dip"day of the week?
That day that always seems to be the hardest one, the one where you just seem to lack the oomph to move on?
Mine seems to be Thursday........usually because it is the longest ( if I am working - and it throws me back to my days selling calendars when I would start my day at 8am and not finish work till 9pm that evening ).
So Thursday still seems to be the one where I wish it would just happen.
Just finished a good book called "The Secret Supper", a story based on the work of Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper"....
A lot of facts wrapped neatly around a story line of intrigue...it reminds me very much about the symbology used to create the religious art of past centuries. The artists who risked their lives to fulfil thier dutites to their patrons that requested artworks to be created  for frescos and painting to hang in halls and churches yet created a special dialogue only available to the "chosen few"who could decipher and understand the secrets. Every part of the painting had a secret meaning...or a double meaning if the real meaning had to be kept hidden .....so interesting...just like the tarot.

The boot is off!

Finally after about five weeks the boot is off - went to see my doc yesterday and I can finally wear two shoes instead of just one.
Must still get another X ray to check whether all is fine and still no exercising for another week or two ( like that was ever going to happen anyway )...
Had a great evening last night with our first lot of Career Covener's coming along to get a dose of motivation and a big fat push to get real and get focused!
I really felt the chill in the air yesterday and could not seem to get warm, its amazing anyone ventured out yesterday so a big thanks to all how came along - Its still rather windy today so the skivvy has gone on!
Yes....if you wait long enough I reckon it will be a fashion statement yet again.....No?

What a night!

I was lucky to attend the pagan ball on the Central Coast last night organised by the Pagans in the Park group held at Myuna Bay.
Wow......and wow again.
It was fancy dress and everyone just went crazy wild with the most beautiful outfits, including knights in armour, magicians, sages, ladies in waiting etc...
There was a fantastic Celtic rock band that entertained us all night long as well as a singing intro from one of the lovely ladies who is part of the organising group on the Coast.
There was also Dani and her group of ladies who perfromed a goth/tribal dance - words escape me.
This was a mesmerising performancing with the ladies putting their hearts and souls into theirdance.
I had a fantastic night.
I am in full admiration that the group put such an event together - something to aspire to ??
Can we possibly get together here in Newie for long enough to create such an amazing event?
So many splinter groups doing their own thing....and that's certainly fine but I would hope that as a "pagan"community we would all stick together and actually work as one isnt this what we all say we aspire to be as spiritual people?
Working together to form a large community is somewhat of a dream for me - yep, we can all still do our own thing for sure and pick and choose who, what, when and where without fear of being ostracised or gossiped about ( is that possible? ) but when we need to, or should be, showing a united front, to be able to attend large community rituals or events would make my heart sing!

There is a reason they teach about trying to reach enlightenment

Its to avoid falling into the void...the void that is a part of the human condition.
The more spiritual your journey the more voids you have to conquer - the harder it is, the more you need to try.
The great magi were taught about the "mysteries" - these were not something that they had to solve, but these were ways of being and when embodied they would change the person forever.
And when understood, the great mystics of the past could transcend the pain of the body.
I tussled with this for a while and then realised that the "pain" they talk about is psychological pain.
Pain caused by others, by their words, by their actions and by their emotions ( or lack of ) and pain inflicted on the self.
I talked to an old man today who told me about all the books that he had collected over the past 60 years.
He had books that were first published in the 1800. What a collection. We talked for a while and it was nice to listen to this old fellow get so passionate about his books and about all he had read all his life. He had a rant about this and that and so did I. I hope he enjoyed his little talk. I did.

Sometimes I think that ..

I am the only one that reads this blog.
So, therefore I could really say anything that I liked and no one would know...
oh, and I so had written a whole blog of saying "things" ..then I decided to get over myself and get on with it.
In the end people believe what they want to believe.
The truth, in this case, often just gets in the way of a really good mud slinging.
I thought, for a split second, that if I had a rant I might change some people's mind....
How silly was that!

Finding it hard to find the time...

I am coming to the conclusion that I am in my overcommiting mode and the next few days are just too much..
today I am all over the place and have cancelled a long trip because I really do not feel safe to drive when I feel unfocused and tired.
Tomorrow we are at the Great Northern Hotel for a Pub Bazaar from 11am to 4pm - readings and networking morning. Sunday I have a booksale to set up for and deliver artworks to Weston for an exhibition - Monday I start to juggle for the next two weeks and also have a big ceremony at the Cottage for my YAAD girls.
Not to mention a sabbat ritual on Sunday night, delivering small child to and from train stations and parties blah..blah...blah...if you see me I will only have a minute!

Flying things and inverted pentacles

We went into St Pauls catherdal whilst in Melbourne and found inverted pentagrams up above the main altar on all four sides...mmmm
Now, to answer a question as to how come we can find  inverted pentagrams ( which are supposed to be associated with Satan ) in a church we found out that:
"These symbols were derived  from  traditional Morning Star pentagrams that are no longer commonly used in mainstream Christianity".( wonder why )
thank you wikipedia!
they were also associated with the five wounds of Christ...so it can make sense that way..it was a funny site though.
Today we were sitting in our office when a box of incence flew off the cupboard onto the floor...just by itself for no apparent reason other than to draw our attention to the fact that it happened quite randomly...
I was terribly inspired by my two hours spent at the Art Gallery and went home and reworked my latest painting feeling myself rather inferior after seeing all of those marvelous things created by masters of the craft....I had to come home and try harder....it was such a privelidge to stand next to a Rembrandt or a Manet, Monet ....glorious moments of bliss ( sorry.....I do like my art )
Now back to work ( I use that word loosely ) 

Good time in the old town tonight!

So good to catch up with my girl at her new place ( which is around the corner from the Queen Victoria Markets) we spent time at the markets buying all of my favourite foods and then back to her place for the night for some talking and chill time.
Yesterday we spent at Spellbox, The Haunted Bookshop and walking around Melbourne City - we went to have a real girlie evening at saw "Sex and the City 2 " which was actually fabulous!!!!Just a good night to not think too deeply and if anyone is a fan of the series you know that the girl's clothes are bloody beautiful!
Today I met up with Gayle and we all went to Mind Body Spirit at the Exhibition Centre - met up with Stacy DeMarco and congratulated her on her appearance earlier in the week on the Today show with Mel and Kochie talking about paganism and then we stopped off and had a drink to "Cloe"a very famous icon in a pub just near Flinder's Station.
Back to Gayle's for dinner tonight and then a evening trip into Lygon street later on for a late nite coffee.
How great....
Tomorrow we are heading into the Art Gallery for some culture and some more suprises...then home in the evening....

Off to Melbourne today!

Baby girl was already whinging this morning that she will have to forage for food all by herself and how could I be leaving her.....poor baby.
Of course I asked her what she would like me to bring back from Melbourne and she said "stuff"....
I cant wait to see my big girl and where she is living and to just spend some time with her.
Mind Body Spirit should be fun - but a new way at looking at products now - as potential stock for our business other than just personal stuff.
We also now have copies of "Goddess" magazine published by Black Rose - this is an Aussie mag which is just beautiful.....come in an get your copy now!!!!
I will have my lap top with me so I may post something of my adventures while I am there....

Much better today ...

Whatever that was yesterday...has gone.
It was an awful energy and it attracted awful stuff to the point where it even gave me awful dreams.
So all my skills at protection and cleansing did not prove too useful - but the idea was to just go with the flow and I did do a lot of reading in the afternoon after I gave up and left early.
I did some intensive reading to get back into my head and move it out, I wanted my space back and it seemed to work......
Very weird indeed.
Hubby's ricotta cheesecake did help.
He made it last night and even though I need more calories like a hole in the head I could not wait for it to cool down so that I could have a slice.
Maybe it was also the aftereffects of the "green fairy"and the Absyinthe that I partook of on Monday evening???
mmmm........

Just should have stayed in bed....

 Just one of those days.....I just did not feel right from the moment I woke up..
Maybe a bit of a bug - Baby girl came home early from school too.
Just ran out of steam and needed to bury my head under my doona..............

Busy this Saturday..

Flat out today....had my last full day with my YAAD class..it has been a long journey and so many lessons have been learnt by all of us.
The girls that stayed to the end have been very generous with their participation and tenacity to see it through especially these last few months.
But I do have to thank my whole class - and to do this I reach back to last year , even the year before.to acknowledge everybody...it has taught me how to teach and what works and that change is inevitable.
Lots have started, some have left and for many and diverse reasons and I have benefited from the challenges that they have all presented.
It has given me the sense of self to also move on with my own stuff and my own ideas...so YAAD has been quite a blessing.
Now just one more lesson is left and then we all go our new ways...very exciting.
I wish my students great blessings for all the spiritual adventures ahead.

Am going to have to wear a bag over my foot on wet days!!!

Tonight I high tailed it to the library in the rain and got my buggered foot totally soaked just after it had dried off from getting totally wet from earlier on.....maybe a plastic bag is on order?
I managed to find a book by sweetie Kelvin Cruickshank, New Zealand medium from the program "Sensing Murder" who I did a workshop with last year....cant wait to get into it..so the trip in the rain proved worthwhile.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a pretty ugly day ( they did say that about Sunday though, and it turned out to be lovely and sunny ) I guess we are all thrown back for a second to our last big deluge which proved devastating to so many people in the area.....so any mention of long periods of rain will cause some people a tremendous amount of stress.
I am hoping that the rain coming our way heads out to sea before it causes too much damage.
Its perfect weather to slip into bed early and read a good book though...............

Buggered leg or not I have things to do!!!

This is quite inconvenient at the moment ...really......
Cant say I feel things have improved but its early days...I am just being extra careful not to overdo it and all my walking is now a leisurely stroll..
other than that its full steam ahead...
at the moment I am getting greatest joy out of drop in visits from friends and clients at Chaos Central.
Today saw a lady who actually works downstairs say she was drawn to come up for a reading......when they start to cry within five  minutes you kind of know they need something ( doh!) but she wasnt letting go of anything today...........so I gave her some reiki instead.
Those moments are pretty cool....my partner in crime is in Singelton at a show with John Overholt. He has been generous enought to allow us to advertise and sell some of our stuff at some of his local shows...so thats a great way to get the message out there.
Daughter emailed suggesting I do a ghost tour while in Melbourne - sounded cool, until she sent me a bio of the guy running it and he is a Satanist and is an 'offically recognised vampire" oh....dont ask........!!!!!
Anyway....decided not to take part...

The Boot is on!

Yes, I am now hobbling around!
and will be for the next four weeks.
Super fun - I guess its a new experience.
Yesterday was quite a bit of adjusting with lots of pain as the foot got used to the constrictions of the boots and new muscles took over.
Today it is markedly better.
Could probably use a crutch for a week though just to get added pressure off the foot and let it heal more rapidly.
Otherwise we are off to a new week and lots to do.
June is a hectic month with a trip to Melbourne, workshops and fairs to be part of.
Yule marks the most activity with also a Yule Ball that I will be attending on the Central Coast...its dress up...mmmm..what will I go as?????

Congratulations Mrs. D- you have a fracture!

Well, there you go!
I have fractured a bone in my foot.
As the specialist said, "I do a good job".
So on goes a boot/or cast for four weeks.
Keep off my foot?
That will be hard..........
what about driving?
mmmmmmm...will have to think about that one.....
going back to my doc tomorrow for a run down.

Totally back to reality!

Getting back into it seemed pretty easy, but at about 3pm this afternoon it was like someone pulled the plug....
I was fading.
Also a trip to the doc has now led me to get a scan on my foot to check out torn ligaments and microscopic breaks..that is on the agenda tomorrow.
Also I take some paintings in to an art exhibition at Raymond Terrace and go to a full moon gathering tomorrow night..
its all good.

Was it all just a dream?

You know when you wake up in the morning and you are really still just semi conscious? That time when you are really not here yet...your body is but your brain is still coming....
Today, as the moments passed, I realised that I was in my own bed ( after an amazing nights sleep ) with all the familiar noises around me....had I really been anywhere at all?
Or had I just dreamt up the whole thing?

But as I moved to get up....my knee and foot started to ache and as I walked into the laundry there was still a huge pile of washing laying there to be done..........yes, it had been real.
My first wake up coffee was shared with Maksy boy plastered on my knees ( he was not going to let me out of his sight after not having seen me for two weeks) and I did not have to walk over two other sleeping bodies to get to the toilet ( they were both still asleep and probably would be for many hours to come )
My first coffee started to course through my veins and the realisation that I was home and it was all over really sunk in......
I think everyone has a bit of a blue day the first day or two after they come back to the real world from being on holidays....all that excitement...gone...
back to normality...
well, one thing I guess my life is nothing that I could call normal..I go back to work today.
I really cannot keep up the fascinating blogs though.. they may be a bit dissappointing from now on.
I will have to go back on another holiday so you all have something to read about wont I???????Anyone got any spare money??
I just need a few thousand...............

The day after the evening before!

Nice bruise happening!

Well I actaully managed to get out and about today.

We got some of those herbal patches from the local Chemist ( they are fantasic for reducing swelling ) and rebandaged tightly and I hobbled off regardless of pain - well, God damn it - it was my last full day in Toyko and there was no way I was going to stay in the Hotel room even if it took half an hour to cross the road!!!!

Hubby wanted to go to the Sword Museum so that was first stop and then we ended up standing on a corner in a hypnotic trance by the lights of Shibuya - thats after we eventually worked out how to get out of the subway...this is the place that has about 200 different entrances and exits and there are guides to help people make their way through the catacombes underground..

Thank goodness there are restaurants and toilets to save us poor wreched souls who may be trapped and lost for days at a time going around and around in circles.....

Heaven forbid anyone ending up down there on their first ever expedition out in Tokyo...they would be likely to  have heart failure and get the first taxi back to the airport...

I am sure that at one stage more people passed me just crossing the road than the total population of Newcastle....and all with umbrellas!!! ( yes...its raining )

I reckon it would be very easy to lose an eye and we wouldnt want that to happen now would we....

My hobbling was at times quite slow so it tended to take quite a bit longer today, but I actually enjoyed to slower pace - but we managed, and then we had stacks of chocolate cake for dessert which hubby made a special trip to get ( auwwww!!!)

Cost to get to the hospital? 780 yen! Cost of a visit and treatment? $180! Look of surprise on security gaurds face when I press the Emergency button in the invalid toilet? PRICELESS!

Well....only I could have done this...believe me!
This is a long story....bare with me...............
We decided to take a walk along an old part of Tokyo known to be quite beautiful as it remained untouched by recent earthquakes and bombing during the war.
It was a bit of a trip with two subway changes and a train trip but when we got there we could see why it had such a reputation.
There was also a very old cementary at the start of this walk so we decided to head in there first for some photos.
All was good till I spotted a group of Mormons coming out of one of the alley ways and thought...mmm...is there no where where these guys turn up?

Then we started walking out................... when ....................whoopsie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I fell arse over head on the concrete having fallen off the curb into a dip in the road ( where there was a manhole )........with a sickening twist and wrench of my left foot...
ouchy..............................that was then end of that.....I could not put any pressure on my foot at all and so we sat there for about 15 mins waiting for the pain to subside....but it did not.

So hubby put on his superhero outfit and flew to the nearest train station to get help....this was not going to be an easy task as we were in the middle of "no-where" city!!!
He came back about 20 minutes later with some poor dude from the station who then tried to make a call for a taxi to take us back to the Hotel.
Hubby said that he had to get to two stations before there was anyone there who understood what he needed...
So I hobbled into the taxi and we arrived back.

The Hotel staff immediately got me a wheelchair and ice for my foot as we called our insurance company before heading to hospital...( you can never be too careful about what they will pay for!)
We filed an incident report and got the go ahead to go to Hospital.
So we were off.
Now, today is a public holiday in Japan.
So, everything shuts early and normally hospitals only work on a skeleton staff.
We arrived and got seen to by a nurse within about 10 minutes.
We were one of only two people waiting.
We then got seen by someone who checked that we could pay for everything today or we could kiss treatment goodbye..
I then saw a doctor who spoke pretty good English and got sent down for an X-Ray ( the Hospital was empty - I mean....EMPTY )
Got an X ray and by the time I went back upstairs the doctor had the X - Rays in front of him.
All of this took about an hour.
Nothing broken....yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bad sprain and swelling so I need to rest and apply ice.Might reiki the bastard tonight!
I got bandaged and we waited for a medical report to be written out.

In the mean time I went to the invalid toilet and did not know how to turn on the light so I did my business in the dark...unfortunately I pressed the emergency help button instead of the flush...and so security came running.....oh God, how embarrassing!!!!!!!!!!
We paid our bill ( about $$180 including X rays )
Then a taxi home and now hubby has gone to find something open to get food.
Nothing like a bit of an adventure is there?

So there you go......could anyone else fall over in a cementary in a foreign country and do themselves an injury???????
I ask you.................................I blame it on the Mormons!!!!!

Am I feeling "effluent"?

We have purchased a two day pass for the subway costing around $12 which gives you unlimited travel on all lines in the city all day so we went for a ride last night to see other interesting bits and pieces of Tokyo.The great thing about this city is that you can actually go out at 8pm and the place is alive! ( Unlike Newcastle ) So many people out! Lots still coming home from a hard days work even at 10pm which was about the time we caught the subway back to our Hotel.
Many shops are still open till 10 while most of the little ones close either 6pm or 8pm.
Eateries are open till late ..and everyone eats out....I think lots of businessmen actually will eat before they go home or hit the Pachinko lounges which are Japans version of Pokies, accept you win little silver balls ( go figure?) and you can play to win more silver balls which you legally cannot exchange for money....but if you go around the back corner there is always a little place that will exchange them back for money..usually at the going rate of return as specified by the local controlling gang...
By the way...these places are garish, hideously loud ( like a jet engine taking off ) and totally unrelaxing...I would love to have a try just out of curiosity...but they are only open to adults and we have no where to put little geisha girl.....also my ear drums could not stand the noise...
It is quite eye opening when you get back on the subway at 10pm and there is a carriage full of men in suits and then there is us....little geisha girl in black and white fully co ordinated funky wear, me in black skirt and thongs very much worse for wear, and hubby in hand washed, un- ironed T shirt that says 'EVERYONE POOPS" on it!!!
Yes...we were feeling very "effluent" indeed!!!!!!!

HARAJUKU MADNESS

Well the Mecca of fashion was were I was headed this morning with mini Geisha girl for some seriously crazy shopping.
We first zenned for a bit at Meiji Shrine and the beautiful green forest walkway with two huge Torri Gates that were made from timbers that were 1500 years old.
We bought some good luck charms ( very potent from here I am assured ) and then braving what what to come....we headed into the crowds.
I guess it was better today as it was not raining and most of the sweet young things were still in school.
Actually looking closely the fashion was not at all expensive!
Most things were floral and layered for summer and all cost between $15- $50 including shoes.
The more extravagant stuff was much more expensive...and many of the anime inspired stuff was well beyong little geisha's pocket money...but she still managed some skirts and bags and a pair of funck shoes....she is a happy girl!
Hubby went his way to the world of knives and bought himself a handmade knife - he then got his name engraved in the blade by the maker.....way cool!!!!!!
so both parties arrived back at the Hotel happy...
Did I get something? yes....just a top....and another suitcase to carry all the shit that little geisha has managed to buy!
We are off again in a minute....more sightseeing....may as well only a few days left now!!!

Hiroshima and the Great Ramen orgy!

Well we have arrived back in Tokyo after travelling from 10.30 from Kyoto and arriving back at our Hotel at about 4pm.Being on the bullet train makes the whole trip a bit of a blur ( literally ) and also tends to send one off to sleep so there was a bit of a micro sleep happening very now and again.
Hiroshima yesterday was emotionally very draining.
The city itself is quite impressive with a beautiful river running through it which makes it very pretty by the banks.Its only a short tram trip from the main station to the A Bomb Dome which is a feature of the city - it is just about near ground zero and is the only building in the area which still stood ( albeit in ruins ) after the drop of the bomb when everything around it was shredded and turned to ash. Here the whole area tingled with spirits and strange energies.
Hubby camera refused to work on two occasions and I felt quite sick throughout the whole afternoon - like I was burning from the inside.
We walked through the Peace Park quietly looking at all the monuments dedicated to all the children that lost their lives and also we rang the Peace Bell which seems to be rung constantly by all the visitors to the Park. There is also another shrine on the other side of the road where people are encouraged to bring their 1000 paper cranes and add them the the growing collection that are also dedicated to world peace - beautiful.
The Hiroshima Museum is very moving. It has pictures of Hiroshima before and after with a story about the day. It has pictures of survivors and stories about families that dedicated shredded clothing of the children that perished during or just after the bomb from horrific burns.
It also tells of the reasons to why the bombing went ahead and how the plans were set out for which city would be picked for the drop.
Enough to make any sane person sick to the stomach!

We went back to Kyoto after a very intense morning and then we went back to Gion for a street called "Shimbashi street", the most beautiful street in Asia - unfortunately we were very late and very tired and also we were directed to the "ugly" end of Shimbashi street ( apparently it is quite long ) and very disheartened as this was our second attempt to find it - we went back to the Hotel.
Today we are back in Tokyo after showering and washing clothes we headed out to Harajuku street where all the real trendy geeks gather in their droves in theirr uber trendy ( and sometimes quite freaky ) clothing.
Did I feel a bit old and country bumpkinish?
That would be an understatement!
These Tokyoites go beyond the beyond when it comes to the height of fashion.
When we got there we really did not seem to see much of a crowd....but we weren't on the happening street were we?
Just another turn and corner and then....wow......five bazillion people down this little alley way totally dedicated to fashion.
Hubby was bored within about half a minute - so we tried to bribe him with a creper filled with strawberries and cream but that worked for about 15 minutes.
Then we decided that I would bring little girl her tomorrow on our own and he would go look at "man stuff" on his own tomorrow.
We then went to Shibuya to find food which is hard when baby girl wont eat much of anything......so we would find something ( finally ) then realise it was full of smokers ( uhg!!!) and have to leave.
FInally we spotted a little hole in the wall serving ramen noodles and we ordered from the machine ( as you do in some of these places ). The order was shouted to the chef out the back and we sat down along this really long table.
Out came the BIGGEST HUGEST bowls of noodles and broth you have ever seen in your life.
We could all have actually just eaten from one and been quite full - it was just too much, but it was soooooo good that we had to try to get through it.
Then we gurgled and woobled back via the subway back to our Hotel.

I was too afraid of sitting down because I thought that I would explode leaving a trail of broth and ramen covering a whole subway car with the mess ( not very pretty ).......

My amazing adventures part six!

It was baby girl's 16th birthday today!
What a day - starting with fresh custard filled cakes from the bakery.
The train trip to Osaka to the Aquarium to see manta rays and a " baby" whale shark.
Hubby and 16 year old did the huge ferris wheel ( like everything else in Japan it has to be huge )
and then back to Kyoto for part two of the day!
We had lunch at a disgusting KFC in Osaka before we left ( mental note : never, ever buy KFC!!!!!
we almost got ripped off by not getting our full order then nearly died laughing at the size of the burger and chips when we got them...and the coffee could have cleaned out your shower cavity! )
We went to a temple in Gion that houses 1000 statues of the thousand armed Kannon ( God of Mercy who listens to your prayers ) and is guarded by 23 Gods - it is one of the most amazing places that I have ever had the priviledge to see with my own eyes.
You are not allowed to take photos and you must enter without shoes - so I walked in bare foot and had tingles in my legs the whole time.
This place was amazing!! 10 lines of kannon 100 in each row..all made from wood, hand carved by over 70 sculptors taking over 100 years to complete.
I lit a candle at the temple for my dear friend Kay and the soul of her son and hubby lit a candle for our family.
What an honour!
Hundreds of years old....
Then we went back to where we were a day ago and went up to the top of a hill to the old temple in Japan and then down the old roads through some of the most beautiful old streets filled with women in traditional kimono.
There is just not enough time to see it all and take it in.
We then headed back to a special cake shop to buy baby girl some more birthday cake and to have dinner...then we struggled home after a final stop along the way at the local supermarket to buy up chocolate for our trip to Hiroshima tomorrow.

My amazing adventure Part Five...

Today we travelled by train to Nara, about an hour away.
It was a beautiful sunny day  and our mission was to go to the deer park and visit the biggest bronze buddah in the world.
The park itself is quite different to how I imagined it to be - it is huge and kind of runs around one side of the inner city including some shops and streets so you have buses driving through ( to take all the tourists ) .The deers are very cute, a bit like feeding the kangaroos back home I guess - they get quite feisty when the food appears ans baby girl had fun feeding them. We walked to the biggest wooden structure in the world which is a temple that hold the biggest bronze buddah in the world. Need I say more????
Then I read that the building which was moved to this spot is now only 2/3 its original size ( built in 17 century ) it is massive and very, very beautiful......The buddah is enormous and also very beautiful. Around the back is a pillar that has a hole in it where people can pass through - if they fit they are guaranteed good luck!
Baby girl did it twice - the first time with a hand to pull her through ( which was then pointed out as being not as good as making it through yourself ) so we sent her though again...( yes...we have the photos )
then she was mobbed by giggly girls who wanted a photo with her and she proceeded to have a bit of a conversation with them....very cool.
We stopped off for udon noodles and okonoyaki at a little cafe that had a griddle in the middle of the table for us to reheat our food on it and keep it warm and then we headed back.
We have found a really cool supermarket close to us with every sort of food you can imagine and so much sushi and prepared food that it is hard to make a choice....we got some things for dinner at the backpackers and we even microwaved it using the ovens at the entrance of the supermarket before we left. We sat in the common room and had free sake and our meals and coffee/tea and then little girl tried on a kimono - She looked beautiful! ( yes...we have photos! )
Tomorrow we go to Osaka to a very big aquarium..it has a whale shark  - how great is that???!!!!!
Can anyone suggest how I can fit back into my clothes?
I am expanding by the second!!!!

Amazing Adventure at the Inari Shrine!

Today we hiked up and down, round and round and then again.
If someone had told me at the start that this was going to be such a climb I may not have done it but an hour into the journey and having been bypassed by aged Japanese with walking sticks...I was down but not out.
Every step of the journey became painful up flight of granite stairs between vermillion Tori gates ( 1000 of them ) and past shrine after shrine....
But it was worth it even though knees cracked and thighs buckled on the way down. The whole trek took us over 2 hours - then we sat in a small restaurant and had more noodly things and I had some tempura veges..
Baby girl then went insane at one of the bookshops on the way home and bought more books...how ARE we going to get these home?
We are now contemplating whether we have enough energy to go out for dinner or just to fade away gracefully while watching Japanese TV.

How were the futons?
Well it was hard to get up...but overall not too bad I guess.....tomorrow we will do more of the same..Maybe Gion ( where the most beautiful street in Japan is supposed to be found ) and then there is a food market to explore in the evening.

Hello from Kyoto! The Amazing adventure continues...

Well the Shinkanzen is certainly an experience - its the closest I will ever come to being in something that travels about as fast as a Formula One car and still be attached to the ground! The only problem is that it travels too fast to actually film anything ...by the time you get your camera ready to take the shot or to film you are in another blasted tunnel .......freaking hell this thing can move..
I am surprised I didnt get vertigo!
So we are here at the Budget Inn....down a little back road about 10 minutes from the Central Railway station...
first night on the floor in futons ..ah! its an adventure!
We had okonomyaki today which is like a big omelette with veges and sauce and mayonaise..very nice after days of eating noodles.I had not eaten all day having had a light breakfast and then the travel and I was silly not to prepare and take food on the train trip opting not to have sushi on the train like hubby decided to, so by the the we hit Kyoto I could have eaten any unspecified meat product of any sort ( as long as it was fried ) ..most coffees here are a bit yuk..but we did walk past a nice looking place tonight with heaps of great looking desserts that we might try tomorrow ( yes food is still a priority! )
Forget about cheap trinkets and souveniers - there are none.
And the clothes and shoes are totally gorgeous but very expensive...my daughter would have a field day here..Tomorrow we are planning to go to the bamboo forest if the weather is good.

My Amazing Adventure Part Four

We decided to go to the Imperial Palace today to get some culture.....and thought it reasonable to find breakfast/lunch when we arrived. Unfortunately we arrived around lunch time to maddening crowds hovering around food shops which were situated along the length of the train/ subway station. We walked outside thinking that there would be shops outside to choose from to find a very heavy business district and not a food shop to be seen in any direction....so back down to the subway we went to find many of the shops quickly selling out of hot food. Of course, as usual, it is very difficult to find anywhere where we can all happily eat with food that suits all of us ( hint here: trouble child ) so we went to buy food firstly for baby girl and I and then headed back for food for the man. This all took forever and the atmosphere was less than warm.
We then headed to the Imperial Palace Gardens which found us in the first spot of green we have really seen for a few days. The gardens are beautiful and very soothing - we took many photos a few of which I can see as paintings in the near future.
We headed back for a short respite and then back on the subway later that evening for a trip to a Shrine and more photo taking. Then the huge hike to find somewhere to eat.
Now you would think that this would be an easy task...but not so.
Very difficult when you cannot read the menus ( little girl cannot read the kanji ) or the prices are a bit rediculous.We can only really rely on places that either have an English menu or pictures....NOT easy to find...so street after street takes us past places that look interesting but may be by invitation only, or bars that sell alcohol and not suitable for baby girl or just sell noodles or where you cannot sit to eat or sushi only........

Tomorrow we head for Kyoto...so its breakfast, quick pack up and out the door for the bullet train. We will be there by early afternoon....see you then!

Very Sad News!

Even though I am on holidays I have heard some very sad news of the sudden tragic  passing of a loved one of a friend, one of the sisterhood, and it has deeply affected me.
I will send my prayers to the family and to my friend whose life has now been shattered into a million pieces.
Back to our trip, we are starting to feel the pain of muscles in legs and backs from walking and carrying backpacks.
Last night we went to Shibuya again and we found the crowds that had been previously missing on our travels.The place was packed!
We are staying in the business district so ofcourse, we are seeing all of the suits and professional people.They arrive to work while we are still asleep - when we move out the crowds are all at work. During the day there are far less people on the street ( they are at work and at school ) but after about 3pm all of that changes and the streets become packed with colourful, imaginative, trendy, young people that could teach the Aussies about fashion and presentation for sure!
The young ones go home and change into their " other selves" and stay out for most of the evening well into the night parading into the night with their mobile phones and accessories that are jaw dropping.
We walked into this tine little pet shop last night at the edge of the red light district and there in a tiny little compartment were dogs to buy. One of them was a tiny pug, just a few weeks old....so beautiful, so cute I wanted to pick it up and give it a cuddle..so unfair to be aware from mum so soon...the owner of the shop demanded anyone who wanted to pick up these animals should disinfect their hands for which he provided bowls of special water...he was charging enormous amounts of money for these treasures - the pug was going to cost someone $2300 ( but well worth it - he was adorable )
One bad point is that people are still allowed to smoke in cafes etc..and we walked out of many last night due to the smoke which is just made worse because the places are packed and confined.....
the night life is totally different from the day time picture ...it is well worth experiencing both.
Today we are going to try to get some culture!
We have the Imperial Palace very close to where we are staying so as the sun is out - we are heading to the gardens and maybe some shrines....shopping tonight at Harajuku...this is where all of the uber trendy young Japanese hang out.

Blessings to you all.....

Our Amazing Adventure - Part Two

Well this must be the most quiet Hotel I have ever stayed in...you cannot hear any noise accept for an occasional crow that flies past.Other than that.....nothing...
We are right next to a subway station which makes it just so easy to get anywhere as the transport system is totally unbelievable to use.
The man just seems to know where to go bless him so we have really not been lost yet.
We went to what can be called a Myers Food Hall yesterday and it was food glorious food x 1 billion!
I was in heaven..what to pick when everything looks fantastic?
We went with some cream puffs that were then packed in a box including ice packets for travelling comfort....yes...ice packs for an item that cost $3....
then we also got some pork dumplings and the man got some exotic veges in tempura...then we went to a little corner used for eating were everyone stands around ( quietly ) and eats in silence and then throws all the bits in the bins directly under the stand...no mess....look after yourself and dont make a mess!!!!
We went to the most well know street crossing in Tokyo and sat and had a Starbucks coffee ( to combat my headache ) and watched to parade in front of us in the big glass windows. Everybody is dressed beautifully, everybody has an umbrella..everybody is quiet.................................it has been raining and it is cold...but thats fine...just right for travelling.
We went to a market last night and walked around and were handed free food to try at the Railway station in one of the shops.......Believe me you can eat off the floor here....it makes me ashamed of our public spaces...we are a filthy lot.
I cannot have a bad word of complaint about anything at the moment..
If you are looking for a bargain though..there are none...things are about the same price as in Oz....so we have to be sensible about money and travel here is a big part of the expence.
But all is good...seeing as much as we can...
Today we plan to go to Sunshine City - it used to be the biggest department store in the world and have an aquarium and a planetarium inside as well as 7 floors of shops...Also nearby is the baby's favourite anime shops ( a full street of them ) so we will be bored stiff but the little girl will be in her element....

Most Fantasic adventure - Part One

We have landed! After hours traveling, a few trips on trains and subway etc..we are here.
Somewhere in Tokyo....this place is huge.
We went walking last night to find somewhere to eat and did not fair too well with little interpreter who could not make out anything at all....so we relied on pictures and pointing. But it worked and we had our first meal of noodles and veges along with some assorted businessmen in a little hole in the wall.
Everything is uber clean.....so clean that actually I am embarrased about how we provide public transport in Australia.
Subways, trains are spotless.
People are also so well dressed......every male is in a suit and even the young people are clean and neat...not an arse crack in sight.
Our Hotel is quite adequate. Warmed toilet seat and flushing things that make you giggle..
Today we go outside and do some more subway travel to assorted distrcts to explore.
First though, is coffee and breakfast - an adventure in itself when everything is totally foreign....
So cool....

Happy Mother's Day!

Blessings to all the mothers on the planet! You are the glue that holds the world together.
I hope some most of you there would have been a special moment today - making you feel special and loved.
Take a moment to all of you who did have a day filled with gifts, lunches and hugs and kisses to our sisters all of over the world that struggle with inferiority, oppression, hunger and homlessness.

Consider those that wait helplessly while their children to die from starvation or lack of simple medicines
Consider those that feel threatened and cannot walk down the street or live in their own homes without fear.
Consider those that are treated no better than cattle because they are women.
Consider those that are shamed and violated without consent.
Consider those that have no voice and no longer a will to live...
We pray for all of them as we all unite on Mother's Day and send our love throughout the world.

May the time of the Goddess return quickly....we need her now!

Big Weekend People!!!!!

Our first open morning tomorrow....getting the place spic and span and then cleaning the hovel at home when I finish work....looks like a truck stop.
But will get to it tonight...
So I bid you all a cheery farewell and if I can blog while in transit I will...
we are taking a small laptop with us but you can never guarantee how these things will go..
but I guess...the Japanese have a toilet that can wash your arse for you and then dry it so I am sure they will also have internet connection......

Ten of Obstacles..

This card will now have another meaning given to it by one of my tarot students - ten of obstacles!
A beautiful, stunning Freudian slip that was hilarous and also quite profound...
I guess you had to be there...but its kept me smiling for hours!

Four Days to go!

Getting ready to go....cleaning, cooking, buying two weeks worth of dog food, always before a trip you realise that you dont have any new undies or bras or need new socks or you have no jacket etc...and then all hell brakes loose with frantic last minute buying of toiletries and incidentals....
I have heaps still do do but will probably not even bother with any of it...after all it will still be there when I return.

All Stomped out!

After an almost non start ( when we arrived it was absolutely bucketing down and we were told to wait in case they felt that they would just cancel the whole show ) we had quite a good day.
Lots of visitors ( thanks everyone who popped by to give us their support and help with the stand )...and also lots of people coming past to look at our stand.
I did a few readings and we had plenty to eat - from Turkish Gozleme ( you just have to have one! ) to Hare Krishna vege food and their fabulous semolina pudding.
The stage was close by and the acts kept coming all day.
The crowds were colourful and entertaining in themselves.
Gosh it was hard work...but it was very satisfying.

Its the contdown...

Well the world will now stop turning until I leave for Japan..that seems to be where the family is focused and not much more is being discussed or done in this house...
We are in full get "ready to go" mode, so I may be talking a lot of blah, blah, blah as we finalise stuff....its only a week away...
Everyone is very excited and I am getting that way too..

Full moon madness..

We are getting madder and crazier every full moon...better to stay in and lock the doors.
But last night I was out in the cool, cool night amongst the possoms and the light of the full moon.
It was a bit cooler than even I expected and I guess thats a hint that its time to rug up when heading outdoors after 6pm.
All our charms, spells and crystals are now charged up and ready to go to new homes and work their magic!
The full moon can be very enlightening, especially this one which had the energies of Scorpio that lead us all to our dark side where we all seem to have to deal with inner demons and bring up issues that we want to run away from...yes, I can attest to that!

Looking past it all..

It is really, really a very good thing that I am going away shortly - cause sometimes I just wish I was no longer in this town.
Today - this morning is one of those moments when being on the moon would be a really good option.
Having a break and being in the wider world for a week or two will be very therapeutic.

I am glad to be busy and glad to have a place to go, many places to go...my head keeps being turned to notice things that  cause me pain ...maybe the lesson is to learn to turn away.

Nothing is ever as it seems...

And so life is often just "like a box of chocolates" - you might get a description of what it is you are about to taste, but often can be very dissapointed as it does not turn out to be quite like you anticipated.
Complex associations with other people can get tiring - you can get frustrated at trying to work out someones "flavour" especially if it changes from, day to day...
For God sake if you are a caramello bear- stay a caramello bear....dont turn into a turkish delight when I am not expecting it!!!!!!!

sometimes ....I just hate chocolate!

A beautiful lunch at Morpeth!

Very quiet day yesterday - headed out in the afternoon to hang all of my paintings at Cafe13 at Lorn.
It was a bit harrowing to take all of my "babies" away - but the Cafe is a gorgeous little secret hideaway and the paintings compliment the decor nicely.
Now just some sales would be totally fantastic - they will be hanging till the end of May.
A lady also came to pick up a painting that she had put down a deposit for  a few weeks back and so we decided to head out to Morpeth for a late lunch and enjoy the extra bit of cash - we chose "Savannagh's " which is right next to the bridge.
We sat out on the back verandah in the afternoon sun and had a lovely meal.
Two weeks before I go to Japan.......

An interesting time ahead...

Well at least mum is ok and stable...she had another turn a day ago and yet again went to the emergency ward at Blacktown Hospital....every time they call me about her I get very nervous and worried because at her age you just never know.....even a small cold can do you in. Every virus makes them weaker and something like a stomach bug can be fatal.
So I am happy now - I can rest this weekend and know that dear old mum is ok.
We are flat out at the moment arranging a retreat and organising flights away to Brisbane for a conference and market stalls....all at once.
Gosh...I cannot believe all of this...
We are also scheduling another meditation evening, now on Wednesday nights at 6pm.
Next week we head out later in the week to do some more mingling and organising....its tough, but someone has to do it!!!!
Also we are planning a very special Samhain - so watch the web site for details!
Have a great weekend all - remember ANZAC day - lest we forget!

Quite a day!

Had a terrific day yesterday.
I have organised an art exhibition of most of my works to be held at Cafe13 at Lorn, Maitland starting next Monday!
Whoopee....I am hoping for some sales!
Michael the operator and chef was a really lovely bloke.
We also got to see Anique Radiant Heart and speak with her about some workshops for later this year at Sacred Elements. Her first one will be "Singing in the Chakras".
She is quite a powerful woman with amazing energy.
Also had another bif tarot class last night - these girls are amazing, they are so being challanged by the tasks I am giving them but reaching in deep to understand the cards - bravo girls!
We all agreed that we should have had some wine last night just to make the process easier.....we went to the dark side of our souls and it was really hard work!
Sorry you missed it D and L - maybe we can do a class with just you guys, cause this spread was really worth getting in to.

Hoovering out the old cells with an energy cleanse.....

Had an energy healing today - I certainly needed it.
Have been carrying a headache for a day - and we have too much to do. Preparing for STOMP in Civic Park next week.
Anybody watching Australia's got talent?
Wow.....just got blown away by a busking family from Queensland called "The Twine".....

Only a step away from the burning times....

Just when you think that we have stepped up into times of greater religious tolerance it does not take much to drop us back a few centuries, does it now...
Just a few incidences this weekend have sent me in a spin.

I have come up against a number of hostile attitudes about my beliefs over the years and every time it happens it surprises me!

Because I know that I am not doing anything wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I wonder why others think that I do?
Why do some consider pictures of the Goddess ( and angels too ) as  idols yet pictures saints or of Jesus hanging on a cross is not!!!!
That praying or chanting to my Gods is any different from praying or singing to what some believe is the one and only God! ( well, maybe I just answered my own question......)
I wonder how many other religions/faiths are as tolerant of others as we are?
How many consider every action as having consequences, that make one responsible for every thought, that hold the earth and every living thing as sacred...
That allows for growth and individuality and compassion to all.

And yet I am to be made to feel evil and ostracized?

I dont believe in the devil - he does'nt exist except in the minds of those that feel there is a good manipulative reason for him to exist...
Some people need to get over themselves...
so where is the love?

ok...thats my rant.

Almost done!

Must say that all this standing is not doing anything for my back!
But the book selling thing is almost done - yippee...
I am working all weekend so cannot really rest just yet..I am a little pooped.
Might pop in tomorrow night and just see our little Cathy Brooker at her book launch "Purity"at Studio 48 in New Lambton.
Knowing what its like to be an artist who needs her friends to support her I will pop my head in on my way home from work and wish her luck.
All of us may not all agree with the content of the book, but hey...Cathy has given it her best shot and stuck to her guns and did it!
Its her story, her passion - she is entitled to her vision.
This is her life's work - all that she is.
That is to be respected.
Also two 'ferals' are holding a picnic at Sugarloaf tomorrow - I hear there will be chanting and drumming and good company.

Big Day!

Its been a long day but such a successful one!
We left for Sydney this morning at 7.30 to be able to fit in the obligatory visit to the Polish Deli in Parramatta.
Then I dropped in on mum who actually looked far better than I was preparing for. She is in pain, but it is obvious that she is being well taken care of at the Nursing Home and that makes me very happy. They are doing the job far, far better than I could.
Our conversation was scattered and short but just giving her a hug and kiss was therapeutic for both of us.
Then we headed off the Chatswood to meet Stacey Demarco ( how cool!!! )
She was totally fantastic - so down to earth and really helpful.
We will be starting a career coven based on her work and covens that she has created in other cities in Australia and we wanted to get some pointers from her on how to proceed.

Then we headed home and I then got together with some cool chicks to have a tarot class at Chaos Central.
I was very impressed. The girls worked hard - I am a hard task master but they excelled  - all of them.
Its a delight to watch the girls work so hard to make sense of the cards. I love to hear their take on what they see and it always teaches me as much as I hope it teaches them.