Good morning seekers of truth!
What do you get when you put a whole bunch of spiritual masters and teachers, gurus and seekers, new agers and shamen, devotional musicians and excstatic dancers, crystal shops and hippie wear seamstresses, yogis and yoga junkies, chai lovers and chakra healers, Christian mystics and earth scientists all in the one gutted David Jones building?
The Bodhi festival.
The Shanti mission headed by a normal looking housewife and mother come spiritual guru - Shakti Durga - put on this event in the heart of Newcastle and made it amazingly, entry by donation. A pretty huge effort.
And it was pretty beautiful. There were peace angels roaming around (or as a friend put it - ladies in white with lights up their dresses) blessing people, as well as streetfront shop windows featuring live yoga, henna application, rose weaving and gorgeous people meditating. The Rimmel cosmetics counter was artistically draped in pure white cloth and huge pots of peacock feathers glinted in the light. There was a food court with chai, the delicious Hare Krishnas and as any festival worth it's salt would have, poffertjes! (You know, those little dutch pancakes - not sure how 'holistic' they are but I'm sure they were blessed in some way...)
There was a floor of 'markets', a floor of yoga, a floor of music and a floor of workshops/panel discussions.
It was actually, pretty mega.
I enjoyed a chakra sweeping workshop (as always, it's all about forgiveness and love) as well as some great kirtan thanks to the Satyananda crew (LOVE THEM). Gav actually ended up playing guitar for them (in half lotus don't you know) which was random and extremely fun....Flex was dancing ON his ripstick.....wiggle board bliss!
I learned that we should spend half and hour every day AT LEAST barefoot on the earth as this grounds us and allows excesss electrons to drain away leaving us more health-full. Pseudo science or not, makes sense to me and sounds like fun....
However, I must say the highlights for me were the panel discussions on "How to Awaken Humanity" and "Is Peace Possible?".
These were great.
Four amazing individuals on each panel, from all sorts of backgrounds and currently practicing various faiths and there was NO argy bargy! They spoke with the utmost respect to their audience and to each other - a FAR CRY from our politicians and so called 'leaders'!!! There was a Christian Mystic priestess who had an ipad and mentioned the fact that she had been to the Grammys last week (!!!) next to a yogi who spoke in deeply poignant and often hilarious soundbites. A midwife and mother turned MOTHER who spoke of babies coming out and mooning their parents to illustrate reincarnation. Their collective wisdom was palpable, but what really struck me was their poise. Their dignity and complete lack of judgement. Both discussions boiled down to the same ultimate answer - find peace yourself/awaken yourself - as being the ONLY way to have any effect on anything else. SO consistant that it sent a really deep and clear message, leaving the audience with a sense of awe and a real ability to move forward. It was authentically empowering - for me anyway!!

And then there was the other face of the weekend - camping at Stockton beach with our great buddies. The kids had a ball riding their ripsticks and pennies around the smooth caravan park roads, having showers all in a row, swimming at the local pool, going driving on the sand dunes and getting bogged, and pulling the barbs out of dead washed up stingrays on the beach. Us 'grown-ups' swam in the ocean, got some 'sun up the asana' (code name for yoga on the beach!!!), ate cheese and drank wine while 'debriefing spirituality' around the camp table. It was really, really wonderful.

And now we carry it all back into daily life. Carry the love, the good intent, the health, the beauty and the little bit of magic.....thank you universe!

My divine feminine.
3 divine women.
1 divine weekend.

I did a workshop over the last few days which allowed me to sink into a deeper understanding of the masculine, the feminine and the power of both. This work is profound as it encourages us to feel what is going on (feminine) as opposed to organise, categorise or control what is going on. It is challenging, provides insight and forces us out of our minds and into our hearts and bodies.
We did some beautiful stretching, some good laughing, a bit of good crying and some great eating! We practiced saying 'no' with love. We practiced loving ourselves (and therefore others) exactly as we are. We talked lots and shared stories of where we've been and where we are.
I started off the 'introduction' phase by saying I was interested in authenticity and this thread wove through the whole thing for me - it is my bag baby! That and joy - and really one feeds the other. It's tricky to be joyful when you're not being real.
I could see that often in my parenting I deferred to the masculine - the commanding, 'get the job done' kind of behaviour that inevitably leads to arguments and disrespect. It's the old adage - if you have to demand respect, you've already lost it. True respect can only ever be earned. Now it's not all about permissiveness and letting the kids walk all over me, it is about really tapping into what feels right to create boundaries for and creating them with love. Being the warrioress - coming from a place of dignity and strength rather than desperation and fear.
So girls - which archetype do you resonate with? We talked about 6:
the Goddess
the Mother
the Warrioress
the Priestess
the Wise Woman
the Lover
They are all powerful, beautiful and fabulous, but there will be one or some that make your ears tingle a bit...and that usually means there is something to work on there or something to look at...for me it was the warrioress - she's my gal of the moment. And it's true - some days feel like a battle ground - especially with two boys practicing kung fu on each other in the living room!
And I love it! I love this life and these opportunities to play and grow and experience truth. Big big thanks to all.

We all have favourite things. And just like the song, I am referring to 'things' as being inclusive of experiences, sensations and living creatures, not just solid material objects. In fact, objects mean very little to me - it is the potential for fun that the object promises that is exciting! Although anyone who has been to my house may beg to differ - uncluttered minimalist surfaces and 'clean lines' it is not!
So here, in my current life, at this very moment, are 'a few of my favourite things'...

Sweet sleeping doggies and crabs in white buckets 
Old cardboard boxes filled with Aussie Geographics
Sunsets on mountains and dreams of hot springs
    These are a few of my favourite things.

Maps on the walls and blogs on the computer
Jim Carrey movies and the television 'muter'
Tears in my eyes when the family sings
    These are a few of my favourite things.

Licking the bowl when the cake's in the oven
Chemistry, Kung-Fu and big squeezy lovin'
Great looking gardens and dragonfly wings,
    These are a few of my favourite things.

When the mozzies bite, when the milk's off,
when I'm feeling sad....
I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don't feeeeeel sooooo bad!

Let's all take a moment, be thankful for the great things we have in our lives....and bloody well enjoy them!

Synchronicity.
I have had mad love affairs with synchronicity at various times in my life - and every time is earmarked as indicating that I am indeed on the correct path...here's today's synchronicity for ya....we have been 'studying' the world, countries, continents, including putting stickers all over a big colourful world map, doing car quizzes on capital cities etc. It has been quite fun. I was thinking of a way of incorporating the flags of different countries into our learning, but couldn't get past the thought of 'colouring in' activities I had done at school....I knew the boys would try to humour me but lose interest after oh 2.5 seconds.
Anyway, the boys are watching 'Kung Fu Panda' and I was unpacking the shopping...ho hum...I walked out and here they are going through all the different language options which are illustrated by - you guessed it - the country's flags!
So, we are currently laughing our heads off listening to the famous 'Skidoosh!' scene in Russian/Swedish/German/Mandarin etc etc!! In 5 minutes of effortless fun they have memorised 12 flags of different countries and heard the language of each - thanks Po!!
It's the little things like this which make a home school mamma smile....

I love Kung Fu. Always have.
We watched a fabulous martial arts film called "The Forbidden Kingdom" and were so inspired by the awesome talents of Jackie Chan and Jet Li dancing like dervishes with their bow staffs...so the moment the film finished we ran out, grabbed some bamboo sticks and instantly transported ourselves to the cherry blossoms and Monkey King escapades of Ancient China.
We were 'flying' through the air! (Well, jumping off the trailer and pole vaulting while kicking our legs and yelling 'Ha!')
We were battling to save the good people of our kingdoms! (Well, carefully whacking our sticks together and laughing at the great cracking sound it makes.)
We devised plans to travel the world giving shows featuring our incredible fire twirling and hula hooping skills.
Now the reality that our skills in these areas are at best, rudimentary, didn't stop us for a second from creating a whole exciting adventure in our heads. And I am starting to really understand, that that is how all adventures start! By 'playing with' an idea....letting it grow, and letting yourself grow alongside it.
So, both the boys are twirling fire now.
Yep, red hot, real fire on the end of a stick.
Yes, last night Flex got burnt and out came the chilled aloe vera and the rescue remedy. It is a dangerous thing to do. But then again , ladies and gentleman, life is a dangerous thing to do!.....Control, just like safety, is something of an illusion. If we are brave, we are safe, if we are skilled, we are safe, if we are healthy, we are safe, if we are loved, we are safe. Hmmmm.....and yet, even with health, skill, bravery and love, people still get hit by buses and struck by leukemia.
So we let our 7 and 9 year old sons play with fire, because we trust them to be sensible with it, and it is a pretty spectacular and wild thing to do.
As Flex said after he burned himself last night - "Well, that's one scar I will always have to remind me to be careful." Aaaaah learning.......and keeping that 'fire in the belly' alive!

It's amazing how quickly our authentic selves can be thrown into doubt when we succumb to a bit of (usually imagined) pressure...when we try to be 'good' mothers/wives/citizens/yogis instead of just being mothers/wives/citizens/yogis. I am still a bit addicted to worrying about what other people think of my children (ie 'parenting'). I'm also still a bit addicted to attempting to create perfectly well rounded offspring. The irony is this:
When I am 'trying' to do everything 'right' I inevitably end up angry, frustrated or even worse - ashamed when I fail. I see all the problems in my family and in myself and in the wee hours they loom larger than big, hulking, scary monsters in the closet. I tend to do the 'if only we had more money/time/help' thing and wish things were different, plotting ways I could improve my life/kids/house. I get snappy.
When I don't try at all, and really just have a clear personal intent and my eyes wide open to the moment at hand, I find myself rejoicing in the ways my kids are different, celebrating their quirks and talents and accepting the shade in them as that which allows there to be light. I am thankful to live in a ramshackle farmhouse with a million dollar view and creaky floorboards. I am grateful to have enough money to live well, and not so much I need to worry about investments or mortgages! I get snap-happy!
Basically, when I stop trying, I start living.
I always find this conundrum annoying as hell when I'm in the midst of it, and quite hilarious when I'm not. But I'm aware of it, so that feels like a step in the right direction....

Every now and then I find myself in the right place at the right time - photographically speaking. Yesterday afternoon was one of those times and here are the results:

After a really satisfying day of science experiments and swimming with the boys I took 20 minutes 'off' in the afternoon to go for a quick romp around the paddock. The lushness at the moment is scintillating - an abundance of rain has lead to an abundance of green, water birds, blackberries, tomatoes and  GIGANTIC mushrooms! I spotted these ones and got down to take a shot from below (yes I had my iphone with me as I have been known to lose track of time while romping and there was fish in the oven!), and Jester, being a curious being, came over to check out what I and the mushrooms were doing.....click, click, click. Gorgeous.
On the same note, we are inundated with fresh food from the garden and I am happy to say that our last 3 dinners have contained at least 75% home grown goodness. Including chicken;)
We have been busy picking stuff and I have buckets of jalapenos, cherry toms, banana peppers, green capsicum, and onions to deal with....it's meant to rain for 21 of the next 26 days so I should have plenty of time for preserving! Oh what a life! We are getting KISS back on its feet as well and I am excited about that...
Anyway, better go and get the day going....here are a few shots of abundance to enrich your day!

Today the sun came out in the first time for what felt like YEARS! So, we slapped on the mozzie repellant, donned our gumboots and headed outside to do all the jobs we've been putting off....which included preparing a couple of unwanted roosters for the cooking pot.
One was obvious - big plumed tail, prominent crest - all the trappings of a young strutter. The other one seemed obvious - big spurs on the backs of it's legs and all.
Gav butchered them, plucked out their feathers and started gutting them.
I was picking cherry tomatoes, banana and jalapeno peppers and digging up spuds when I heard "Hey Yo! Come and look at this!"
In his hand Gav held a perfectly formed egg yolk and as we peered into the carcass of the black 'rooster' we saw 20 or 30 more yolks in various stages of growth. This rooster was undoubtedly a hen. And a great layer at that!
Whoops.
They are both in the oven now and we will have a feast tonight....sorry miss black hen - I am slightly gutted that you are extremely gutted but I promise to honour you by enjoying every single mouthful!

So this is what I found in a book at a friend's house the other day. And it kinda hit me in the guts. In a good way.
I have one child for whom compassion comes quite easily. He gets it, he feels it, he practices it. I have another child who could could definitely use the Dalai Lama as his personal tutor!!
At times this has discouraged me. I have felt bereft and hopeless, sad and of course, have made it all about me. What did I do wrong? Was it an in utero trauma? Was it genetic? Is there something wrong with him/me/our family/the world???? And how can I FIX it?
Reading this quote brought all those feeling up again, but also offers such a simple and DO-ABLE practice that my whole world opened up. THIS is why we home school - so that we can focus on what our individual children need, when they need it and do so  in way that resonates for us as a family.
So, just for today, bugger maths, eschew english, stuff PDH/PE.
Lets focus on compassion.