tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70181606852843463132024-03-14T05:13:20.670-07:00Sacred Whisper BellingenSacred Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09587160005351353247noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-54289013868451206082017-04-18T00:15:00.000-07:002017-04-18T00:15:39.981-07:00When a Baby Dies Workshop<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>WHEN A BABY DIES // WORKSHOP FACILITATED BY DENISE LOVE //</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b> THURSDAY 27TH APRIL 9.30 - 2.30</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbV-r2Sptjd6_6z0L8VIjduBphNeQG9Yw5vKd_ad5PuAPEM6fz7E04mCgJHlIkvPFHJy14OPvoBlql-FMBNfAqQITqRX3EToms59PUiWVsGGuyc0KOMq3lROkodpTqwMUFyp2cmUc_mw/s1600/When+a+Baby+Dies.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbV-r2Sptjd6_6z0L8VIjduBphNeQG9Yw5vKd_ad5PuAPEM6fz7E04mCgJHlIkvPFHJy14OPvoBlql-FMBNfAqQITqRX3EToms59PUiWVsGGuyc0KOMq3lROkodpTqwMUFyp2cmUc_mw/s320/When+a+Baby+Dies.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
Motherhood is a fundamentally emotional journey. It is impossible to separate the rich, raw feelings of being a mama from the role of being a mother itself.<br />
<br />
When a baby dies, the tragic reality of the loss is overwhelming. Whether it be a miscarriage, an abortion, a stillbirth or a neonatal birth, the promise of motherhood is shattered and the mother, her partner and family face a new, very demanding path: bereavement. Whilst this path can only be walked by them, they should never walk it unsupported.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA0UgQ5SXpiUchrTCV0fod1cL2KQ2nVsSNV3iWpqspBUbstexawXo3qSOhqe_NkDQyLwo4_kqtKSqdCXGK5O7ech74ZdtL9Rh1N2X2MHrg3_aYmfMFVw3vdXxXCb03PsboHOcP-1ycPZo/s1600/grief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA0UgQ5SXpiUchrTCV0fod1cL2KQ2nVsSNV3iWpqspBUbstexawXo3qSOhqe_NkDQyLwo4_kqtKSqdCXGK5O7ech74ZdtL9Rh1N2X2MHrg3_aYmfMFVw3vdXxXCb03PsboHOcP-1ycPZo/s320/grief.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
And yet our culture often fails in supporting bereaved women and their families and loved ones appropriately: not because we don't want to-- the outpouring of love to these families is often strong and visible. Instead, we, as a culture, have multiple barriers to offering that support: a taboo around death (especially that of a baby), a lack of awareness of the practical and emotional issues that co-exist with bereavement, especially when a baby is involved; and not being equipped with tools that can help the mother experience her grief and find her new normal in working with her loss.<br />
<br />
This one day workshop aims to help bridge that gap in dealing with the death of a baby: to actively create a space where the mother and father/partner feel held and support people and birthworkers can find the language and gestures to support them in moving into and through the sadness.<br />
<br />
The workshop is for anyone who has had a baby die, experienced a stillbirth or miscarriage, or who has had an abortion. Birth workers will benefit from sitting in circle and hearing stories and sharing the experiences they have had. We will look at the challenges we face in handling a little body, green funerals and rituals that may help with grief.<br />
<br />
"When a Baby Dies" is facilitated by <a href="https://www.deniselove.net/" target="_blank">Denise Love</a>, a birth and death Doula trainer. Denise has been working with birth for a number of decades, including the last few years in Cambodia. She empowers communities by running doula training in both rural and city settings, and also integrates into her work the important task of lovingly supporting people who are coming to the end of their lives. She runs LifeOptions as well as Women's Health Cambodia, a non profit organisation that helps bring safe birth to women in remote villages in Cambodia.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCs7CGJpqNhiYMgk8fRWxSBJBh7fU7rS9oFwxqq5XjS9OpXxJtVlPn_DRvc4jFCxaTLgrjZPJtqQe5H0oLfhE3mfQ9k7-YfQxgMpuUmlq_3RDaMXXh5Qv5arMDuRJjYJSlxnMQ16fkoWo/s1600/Denise.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCs7CGJpqNhiYMgk8fRWxSBJBh7fU7rS9oFwxqq5XjS9OpXxJtVlPn_DRvc4jFCxaTLgrjZPJtqQe5H0oLfhE3mfQ9k7-YfQxgMpuUmlq_3RDaMXXh5Qv5arMDuRJjYJSlxnMQ16fkoWo/s320/Denise.webp" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The "When a Baby Dies" workshop will be held on Thursday 27th April from 9.30am to 2.30pm in Bellingen (venue TBA). The cost of the workshop is $90 and payment plans are available. Snacks will be provided, please bring a plate to share for lunch.<br />
<br />
To book into the workshop, or for any enquiries, please contact me on 0418950793 or email earthysammi@gmail.com<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9KcW8xa6vvgZOAiKbVDmuKRf4yLKgZvbbNUun0c8FYEyIAIm46XlGMjiSPnsteI-9NlmXKwTThcbAnmot3zYjDUvl5EospN7-AKJmt2Mj02RwuPan7gbqJET5gKNuD2gAeeiU12GbMQ/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9KcW8xa6vvgZOAiKbVDmuKRf4yLKgZvbbNUun0c8FYEyIAIm46XlGMjiSPnsteI-9NlmXKwTThcbAnmot3zYjDUvl5EospN7-AKJmt2Mj02RwuPan7gbqJET5gKNuD2gAeeiU12GbMQ/s200/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Copyright Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2017</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising/" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and is the publisher of Sacred Whisper Bellingen</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ph: 0418 950 793</div>
<br />Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-86239288415138428112017-03-11T02:50:00.000-08:002017-03-11T03:33:08.027-08:00I AM Sisterhood Retreat Byron Bay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1W29YCEvW8TcwPefdMJWzDJCPZcfOeiP9D2BIDek2gObEnsONWL9E-m0GiR9julfANEsPFlHkP_t0Ykt15bb5KLfK3phJ8M5hAYOgED-UDU3IjRVYyexY-e32J1lxFuiaIma-UH_CGg/s1600/new+event+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1W29YCEvW8TcwPefdMJWzDJCPZcfOeiP9D2BIDek2gObEnsONWL9E-m0GiR9julfANEsPFlHkP_t0Ykt15bb5KLfK3phJ8M5hAYOgED-UDU3IjRVYyexY-e32J1lxFuiaIma-UH_CGg/s640/new+event+photo.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I AM SISTERHOOD RETREAT<br />BYRON BAY<br />MARCH 30- APRIL 3 2017</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.sacredlivingmovement.com/i-am-sisterhood-co82" target="_blank">I AM Sisterhood</a> </span></span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">is created by Anni Daulter as a sister program for the </span></span><a href="https://www.sacredlivingmovement.com/" target="_blank"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sacred Living Movement</span></span>™.<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></a></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I AM SISTERHOOD</span></span></span><br />
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">breaking F R E E to become M E</span></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Women are NATURAL born Creators...They give birth to babies, visions, ART, beauty, dreams and sisterhood!</span></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes we need to get INSPIRED to get on our RIGHT PATH...sometimes we need a sister to say YES! I see you and HONOR you for your choices. Sometimes we need help diving deep within to FIND our soul's purpose and PASSION. Sometimes we just need a friend. If you are a woman and want to join our Sacred Circle Sisterhood, then this retreat is for you personally. If you have a passion to share this work with other women in your community, then this RETREAT is SURELY for you. The unique aspect of this retreat is that all you need to be to join is a WOMAN! You will gain so much personal insight, have fun, laugh and cry throughout this journey we will take together and after as a BONUS, you will be certified to run Sacred Sisterhood "Breaking FREE to be ME " workshops in your communities!</span></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">*you will be a CERTIFIED I AM SISTERHOOD CIRCLE LEADER following the retreat and will be able to host / hold these classes / circles for the women in your community!</span></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="font_8" style="border: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">These retreats are exceptionally popular and rarely come to Australia. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">TO BOOK YOUR PLACE, FIND OUT MORE, OR TO EXPLORE HOW YOU CAN MANIFEST THIS AMAZING RETREAT IN YOUR LIFE THIS MONTH, please email earthysammi@gmail.com or phone 0418 950 793 today</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoV1g1ApBMT6pTDKeoImPtw4oJzSSRWHgVCyv3Xg_7rYPa-0lgDExWkWN4JZETm1EXBX0At4RWJJ74-rPZjRW_FRgadjeqFrWyZIFil6jQcRlGrnD6JfjuAVFBuJe1ahV-LuX1aDWzW84/s1600/sisterhood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoV1g1ApBMT6pTDKeoImPtw4oJzSSRWHgVCyv3Xg_7rYPa-0lgDExWkWN4JZETm1EXBX0At4RWJJ74-rPZjRW_FRgadjeqFrWyZIFil6jQcRlGrnD6JfjuAVFBuJe1ahV-LuX1aDWzW84/s400/sisterhood.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I AM Sisterhood Retreat Swag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgVgxagbV3lRLTcDNJRbMPUK1fP4zL0dSxyLQYaMrDNThn4XWoMHQOBIzuB_v5F87nGfNNmnLZXEO5MH8isiDZe96_QtpzTOJDYtecNQiUie5Etm5dImo2MPapr_Q-BieuYv8IdfCqBM/s1600/Welcome+to+Byron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgVgxagbV3lRLTcDNJRbMPUK1fP4zL0dSxyLQYaMrDNThn4XWoMHQOBIzuB_v5F87nGfNNmnLZXEO5MH8isiDZe96_QtpzTOJDYtecNQiUie5Etm5dImo2MPapr_Q-BieuYv8IdfCqBM/s320/Welcome+to+Byron.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Byron Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <b>I AM Sisterhood Retreat</b>
nurtures the creative spirit within all women and helps us gain clarity and
inspiration about our right path. In a lovingly held circle of women, we dive
deep within to find our soul’s purpose and passion. We will gain so much
personal insight, have fun, laugh and cry throughout this journey, nourishing
ourselves as natural born creators. <b>THIS
is the I AM Sisterhood</b>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anni is a revolutionary figure in the world of intentional living
as seen through the lens of rites of passage and our connections with each
other. She has the ability to merge the Beauty Way lifestyle with body, mind,
spirit and life changing retreats and trainings. Anni dedicated to changing the
whole birth experience for women, helping couples grow their relationships to
the highest vibration possible and helping sisterhood grow in ways that will
eventually touch every woman near and far. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Sacred Living Movement grew out of Anni’s first book, Sacred
Pregnancy, and retreat back in 2012. She quickly realised that all aspects of
our life journey needed to be addressed, honoured, marked and seen as sacred
and so many programs to fit the needs of the community were developed. These
programs range from pregnancy and birth, post partum, menarche, parenting,
natural health with more being created all the time. The Sacred Living Movement
is about living with intention and inhaling the beauty of life. For more
information visit <a href="http://www.sacredlivingmovement.com/">www.sacredlivingmovement.com</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvMlvZ1cuOq2dZ6NnGbahDlqhLx8zScfFicJX_fow1rySuKoBWQNwfS2cCT8xxB1e1nFLaX8D4zQOwJ7eTIvAA_Tm5m6rjaWhIq1of9ObQflUbf4e_c0lhL00W9llG45jc-Osypt9xCE/s1600/ingrid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvMlvZ1cuOq2dZ6NnGbahDlqhLx8zScfFicJX_fow1rySuKoBWQNwfS2cCT8xxB1e1nFLaX8D4zQOwJ7eTIvAA_Tm5m6rjaWhIq1of9ObQflUbf4e_c0lhL00W9llG45jc-Osypt9xCE/s640/ingrid.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sacred Living Movement<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnsyUK4Hv57_U4nKIrlUoYyqT4Mo1dbKYoOY2rt387kXU9O55TEhmgoEW8btTR4fH8cEdDMk9FB64WJl_xVE7105qnYcyXw6_g3NzvAgxjrt3xeFRiruYJki7XnC3rzTcSDVuLAN-1Yw/s1600/alter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnsyUK4Hv57_U4nKIrlUoYyqT4Mo1dbKYoOY2rt387kXU9O55TEhmgoEW8btTR4fH8cEdDMk9FB64WJl_xVE7105qnYcyXw6_g3NzvAgxjrt3xeFRiruYJki7XnC3rzTcSDVuLAN-1Yw/s400/alter.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">NIGHT ONE</span></span></b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">: Welcome to I AM SISTERHOOD *I AM* UNFOLDING ME *</span></span><br />
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">circle check in + sacred space building +
seeds of a woman tribe *magic + feminine consciousness + the elements *get your
color + prana path meditation + introduce yourself to your sacred journal
*UNDER THE MOON DANCE (CIRCLE UNDER THE MOON) + singing + dancing to BOUNDLESS
*breaking free to be me : 6 line poetry slam *create magic moon water *create
magic moon oil *enjoy drinking “Sisterhood Moon Essence Potion” with some magic
sprinkled in!</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknVKpa28TSY4dybYubvKCDM-9ys3DasBGFhCgGV25SVPHhcTBC7CP7vxVofKghmXrzKEN6v1-UYkjtXvvdb09SN65TtsAUzYowJ8XP9eCU0-enFLcjOsrjD2y3OR9p5KtyOEE_OmjwK0/s1600/super+power.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknVKpa28TSY4dybYubvKCDM-9ys3DasBGFhCgGV25SVPHhcTBC7CP7vxVofKghmXrzKEN6v1-UYkjtXvvdb09SN65TtsAUzYowJ8XP9eCU0-enFLcjOsrjD2y3OR9p5KtyOEE_OmjwK0/s1600/super+power.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Word Medicine//Journalling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0yHczF3LNfO3Gog_XjVsEMNJAZguFiDNfYFMTgPgxATH243zwV2kfJje6e6dz80r1KEN3UBYE4yPv5GMoghmQTliMB6aE5LdK3WlOVB1O2De0yzOEBurRtQEx78_0KRFNvctvSOTNbk/s1600/journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0yHczF3LNfO3Gog_XjVsEMNJAZguFiDNfYFMTgPgxATH243zwV2kfJje6e6dz80r1KEN3UBYE4yPv5GMoghmQTliMB6aE5LdK3WlOVB1O2De0yzOEBurRtQEx78_0KRFNvctvSOTNbk/s320/journal.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">DAY TWO</span></b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">: *I AM* WOMAN TRIBE</span></span><br />
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
AIR + FIRE</span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
AIR : UNDERSTANDING DIVINE MIND *divine mind + understanding the element of AIR
*word medicine + we are ONE *SUPER-POWERS *loving yourself : create rose
anointing oil *soul sister match up + heart to heart + gift exchange *claiming
the sacred writer in you *sacred journal art time</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
FIRE : LOOKING AT PASSIONS + YOUR WILL *transformation + understanding the
element of FIRE *create black protection salt + say spell *deep release fire
ritual *understanding the pendulum *lotus mudra + chant *sexual fire *desires :
poetry slam *raw witness dancing</span><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnh6RIgXepP0qTUpZQnpezxXAmDARaldQ-0qJZi2FdpDb2gtg8hTTJctPTseOi2Id8R4vAKw4MlMYw1lBEzfhO3GusyFkwCFGAcyfdDEYZe73EgrLU3d1V8Sf2zBnIS4j4soCu4BecALM/s1600/woman+in+prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOf-GmYnnqOpZtlzswh32Vsx1o3ZJqP5RGCs6v0UXsvplHtOAt25fT7RWQRM839pE5g64CU0KfpOBCDOaGGu_7Pc_O4OPOdqcVaLR4ssj9JVMI9oFCGCx1Rl1vI9JznFzhM0wzgCpcq8E/s1600/fuck+off+lack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOf-GmYnnqOpZtlzswh32Vsx1o3ZJqP5RGCs6v0UXsvplHtOAt25fT7RWQRM839pE5g64CU0KfpOBCDOaGGu_7Pc_O4OPOdqcVaLR4ssj9JVMI9oFCGCx1Rl1vI9JznFzhM0wzgCpcq8E/s640/fuck+off+lack.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnh6RIgXepP0qTUpZQnpezxXAmDARaldQ-0qJZi2FdpDb2gtg8hTTJctPTseOi2Id8R4vAKw4MlMYw1lBEzfhO3GusyFkwCFGAcyfdDEYZe73EgrLU3d1V8Sf2zBnIS4j4soCu4BecALM/s1600/woman+in+prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnh6RIgXepP0qTUpZQnpezxXAmDARaldQ-0qJZi2FdpDb2gtg8hTTJctPTseOi2Id8R4vAKw4MlMYw1lBEzfhO3GusyFkwCFGAcyfdDEYZe73EgrLU3d1V8Sf2zBnIS4j4soCu4BecALM/s400/woman+in+prayer.jpg" width="265" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>DAY
THREE</b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">: *I AM* UNFOLDING ME</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><br />
WATER + EARTH + SPIRIT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><br />
WATER : BEING IN THE FLOW *flow + understanding the element of WATER *gratitude
practice *living in abundance *releasing LACK + manifesting money + looking at
your relationship to moolah! *create an abundance oil + money spell *drink from
the chalice of abundance</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><br />
EARTH : GETTING GROUNDED *grounding + understanding the element of EARTH
*goddess connections *nature mandala offering * find your nature object for
your soul sister *create your wand *create your soul sister’s name gift *soul
sister share *tribal-flow face painting </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">*I AM* DEFINED<br />
SPIRIT : FINDING YOUR GODDESS WITHIN *drum circle + “woman am I” song *my name
: be gifted your ‘spirit name’ *my vision : send out dream to the universe *my
purpose in the world<br />
Special “Living in Freedom”<br />
BOLD RED Ritual **Sisterhood Salt Bowl**</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ybxkaM-u7TWl_6U2QgxYe-UqLGVLR6iCvZ6zEyVkVSXFfUQJuTD4ypZ9OhXFuizgMW_VM8zMhEI9BAwFkDzRNEkvompltGdp_zcFJk1yWHUXA2hVRS_TQFHC4ytCHznm7fenV5vG0zA/s1600/Crystal+Castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ybxkaM-u7TWl_6U2QgxYe-UqLGVLR6iCvZ6zEyVkVSXFfUQJuTD4ypZ9OhXFuizgMW_VM8zMhEI9BAwFkDzRNEkvompltGdp_zcFJk1yWHUXA2hVRS_TQFHC4ytCHznm7fenV5vG0zA/s400/Crystal+Castle.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWj1CHAwS2D_XFtCHhzL17vlkTpJj-xjEUdHZpxLuduO3vtWpds9JBUY87bT0QgZd_RHMrVWG247fXfak0ZidzBU1-NJHquaz3DJCqmLXiGJTCJEJjPa8cquN72fPYzfnpbmBAshfgdI/s1600/oracle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWj1CHAwS2D_XFtCHhzL17vlkTpJj-xjEUdHZpxLuduO3vtWpds9JBUY87bT0QgZd_RHMrVWG247fXfak0ZidzBU1-NJHquaz3DJCqmLXiGJTCJEJjPa8cquN72fPYzfnpbmBAshfgdI/s1600/oracle.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>DAY Four</b>:
Sightseeing and visit to the Crystal Castle in Mullumbimby<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYnpGJOK29M9I8wvu0viT_Z9-PPM-ozr3VbadQpF_8u8zqN4xI0u2751TRqBapn2hExykUjgFUcCIStVjqb2Zz94VnmZDGOtm2s1SjmCzTPGxcGKRqum-gGjYFbdDv-YwnwN_Dm-OACo/s1600/event+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYnpGJOK29M9I8wvu0viT_Z9-PPM-ozr3VbadQpF_8u8zqN4xI0u2751TRqBapn2hExykUjgFUcCIStVjqb2Zz94VnmZDGOtm2s1SjmCzTPGxcGKRqum-gGjYFbdDv-YwnwN_Dm-OACo/s320/event+photo.jpg" width="247" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Please claim your space in this workshop, or seek more information
by emailing <a href="mailto:earthysammi@gmail.com">earthysammi@gmail.com</a> or
calling 0418 950 793.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9KcW8xa6vvgZOAiKbVDmuKRf4yLKgZvbbNUun0c8FYEyIAIm46XlGMjiSPnsteI-9NlmXKwTThcbAnmot3zYjDUvl5EospN7-AKJmt2Mj02RwuPan7gbqJET5gKNuD2gAeeiU12GbMQ/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9KcW8xa6vvgZOAiKbVDmuKRf4yLKgZvbbNUun0c8FYEyIAIm46XlGMjiSPnsteI-9NlmXKwTThcbAnmot3zYjDUvl5EospN7-AKJmt2Mj02RwuPan7gbqJET5gKNuD2gAeeiU12GbMQ/s320/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Copyright Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2017</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising/" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and is the publisher of Sacred Whisper Bellingen</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ph: 0418 950 793</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-84120888749069317042016-08-19T05:36:00.000-07:002016-09-02T06:54:31.217-07:00The Imperative for Self CareOver the past couple of weeks I have engaged in some truly beautiful self care time.<br />
<br />
Life has been particularly, achingly demanding over the past few weeks. I have perhaps never had so many demands on my time, from so many sources, and yes, of course the cacophony of barely explored voices from my inner world is part of that picture as well.<br />
<br />
I have rarely felt so strongly the immediate effect that self care has. I remember before having children, I could not nap for less than a couple of hours without it feeling satisifying. Now, a few minutes curled up in the couch watching the clouds can equal that feeling of satifaction. A half hour doze is heavenly, and a two hour nap now- I begin to slip into trancendental states!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6dtVXQXrGBJd9ooTrtKEs111Qjr-jdp_ekyxHvPUoyn4CDF3vZZvYjqrUvF4M2gw0DD-DyNKdaYmRgDyYZRf1Rr6wyjjoYe7GTgm3w1xPlMFcIIO5P5ikHoXOtSFEhjrep5R1Q-IyPE/s1600/SpringInspiration.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6dtVXQXrGBJd9ooTrtKEs111Qjr-jdp_ekyxHvPUoyn4CDF3vZZvYjqrUvF4M2gw0DD-DyNKdaYmRgDyYZRf1Rr6wyjjoYe7GTgm3w1xPlMFcIIO5P5ikHoXOtSFEhjrep5R1Q-IyPE/s320/SpringInspiration.png" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This stress I have been under has had it's alchemy, it's magic. It is a trustworthy filter: that which is truly important, I will hold to. All else falls away. It has given me permission (which is a funny, externalizing way of putting it, rather than being reflective of the stepping into a greater alignment between my internal and external world, which is what the process actually is) to let go of the things that are demanding, sometimes almost deafening in demand, and meander down paths less demanding but so much more vital, more important. I leave the washing piling up, and instead play in the fairy house with my children. I put the phone calls off and lay down in stillness for the twenty minutes I have to myself. I buy wonderfully organic, local, balanced food according to my well thought out meal plan, and then get takeaway because the baby is teething and I would rather comfort her (and support myself) than provide the most nutritious meal at the cost of a whole bunch of stress and disconnection.<br />
<br />
In the <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/the-alchemy-of-traumatic-birth.html" target="_blank">Healing Your Birth: Returning to the Heart after Birth Trauma</a> course I have created*, one of the weeks deeply explores the concept of self care. We look at how we regard and either disconnect or connect to our bodies after birth trauma- and ultimately, whether this is a message of love, compassion and presence, or of anger, wounding and walking away from our essence of creative being. We learn techniques to communicate in ways that our voice will be truly heard, and we look at self care rhythms.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IDVijqKzV1Zl5NPOBF_RFKYGHLi12kGO20QCF_xvzjwI8TU9RCXVrbanjy95JMkppnfO-P5lJr-Kv5Xb9Su8t7nM_TXSjX3qZ1qdnnrZZ8q6Xzc9clFn5TeqGlYk4JzeWEDfoDJ-nM0/s1600/HYB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IDVijqKzV1Zl5NPOBF_RFKYGHLi12kGO20QCF_xvzjwI8TU9RCXVrbanjy95JMkppnfO-P5lJr-Kv5Xb9Su8t7nM_TXSjX3qZ1qdnnrZZ8q6Xzc9clFn5TeqGlYk4JzeWEDfoDJ-nM0/s400/HYB.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It's certainly difficult to get self care time as a mama. The logistical issues surrounding support, child care, financial limitations and other things like this can be a barrier, but so too can the barriers inside us- the feelings of not being worthy, of sacrificing our needs or putting them last because that's what we have been conditioned to accept what a mother does- and to be very honest, sometimes because it's easier than having to fight to carve out time for ourselves.<br />
<br />
One of the most important lessons I have learnt, courtesy of the wonderfully yummy teachings of <a href="http://mothersawakening.com/coachingwithkaya" target="_blank">Kaya Jongen and Lisa Bogle</a>, is that self care does not need to be exclusively solitary time, or at least time away from the children. In fact, in the early months and years, sometimes time away just isn't practical or relaxing.<br />
<br />
There is so much we can do, in the moment, to nurture our selves, without being away from our children; and then when those solitary times do arise, we can also dive right in. If we can move past rigid ideas of what self care has to be, we can move into a more expansive, creative idea of potential: what could it be? What would work for me, right now, in this moment? What will raise my vibration, centre me, create a shift?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDIkBS4HWG06jteo_xASyQ-SwfQRwVSJF0T3t3Lo6UnaSiUmb9ldgi-UY4gOlehh1ONOdiS96YqKjEmg83s7X1pDS6q_ctLJdjl_dyC3F1wJVW-q7y1Ggc2k-CUJ98vTapLvh0fN5Kao/s1600/me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDIkBS4HWG06jteo_xASyQ-SwfQRwVSJF0T3t3Lo6UnaSiUmb9ldgi-UY4gOlehh1ONOdiS96YqKjEmg83s7X1pDS6q_ctLJdjl_dyC3F1wJVW-q7y1Ggc2k-CUJ98vTapLvh0fN5Kao/s1600/me.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
Self knowledge, openness and an inquiring mind are all keys.<br />
<br />
In the self care week of the course, we create a self care manifesto (I call it my "Keep Life Shiny" list). It's a list of daily non-negotiables, practical self care items that, even when the emotional terrain is challenging, give moments of lightness. It's an incredibly important commitment to make to ourselves, to value our own self care enough- to go beyond our culture of blame and externalization- and ensure we are beings that take responsibility for our wellbeing.<br />
<br />
Here's what's on my Keep Life Shiny list currently (and it's a fluid list, as something becomes stale I weave in something new that is more resonant):<br />
<br />
Each day, I:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>drink a cup of coffee and scroll through <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mama_rising/" target="_blank">instagram</a> (after morning tea is over and the kitchen cleaned up)</li>
<li>light some incense, put on some mantra music and check the daily reading from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aquariusnation/" target="_blank">Aquarius Nation</a> (when my partner leaves for his afternoon/evening job)</li>
<li>listening to a podcast whilst doing the housework after the kids are asleep (my favourites at the moment are <a href="http://slowyourhome.com/the-slow-home-podcast/" target="_blank">Slow Your Home</a> and <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/" target="_blank">Conversations with Richard Fidler</a>) </li>
<li>do some kind of writing, even if it's just a few sentences</li>
<li>get help from all the family in ensuring all housework jobs are done each day, because once it mounts up, it is so much harder to catch up</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGpR9jA1p4OmaZFHTNwHX1EJsjIVDWvEJ_EaRW7N-9KUax7tnrU9aOmPJgfOPwthyx59hLws8K2AnaXJFaM1x6zJZqMb-KVbYT__fABkoP1xpI_-WXu-ZNMnllNn1lZuaO2I_qnlAUaU/s1600/writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGpR9jA1p4OmaZFHTNwHX1EJsjIVDWvEJ_EaRW7N-9KUax7tnrU9aOmPJgfOPwthyx59hLws8K2AnaXJFaM1x6zJZqMb-KVbYT__fABkoP1xpI_-WXu-ZNMnllNn1lZuaO2I_qnlAUaU/s1600/writing.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What's on YOUR Keep Life Shiny list? What's your non-negotiables? Let me know in the comments!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*If you would like to know more about the six week (one morning a week) course, or be kept updated where I am with it's release, please email me at earthysammi@gmail.com, or call me on 0418950793</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9KcW8xa6vvgZOAiKbVDmuKRf4yLKgZvbbNUun0c8FYEyIAIm46XlGMjiSPnsteI-9NlmXKwTThcbAnmot3zYjDUvl5EospN7-AKJmt2Mj02RwuPan7gbqJET5gKNuD2gAeeiU12GbMQ/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9KcW8xa6vvgZOAiKbVDmuKRf4yLKgZvbbNUun0c8FYEyIAIm46XlGMjiSPnsteI-9NlmXKwTThcbAnmot3zYjDUvl5EospN7-AKJmt2Mj02RwuPan7gbqJET5gKNuD2gAeeiU12GbMQ/s200/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="font-style: italic;">Copyright Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2016</i></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising/" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and is the publisher of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Sacred Whisper Bellingen</a></div>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ph: 0418 950 793<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-65964179724875030212016-08-05T06:21:00.000-07:002016-08-05T06:21:06.307-07:00Grounding into the Narrative of BirthIf you are a regular reader of the Sacred Whisper Bellingen blog, you would know that I have been working on a <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/the-alchemy-of-traumatic-birth.html" target="_blank">six week immersion</a> for integrating traumatic birth experiences.<br />
<br />
She's arrived earthside- <i>Healing Your Birth: Returning to the Heart after Birth Trauma </i>is now running as a pilot program, and I will soon be offering it to the wider community. It is a beautiful meeting of the Sacred Living Movement's <a href="http://www.sacredlivingmovement.com/healing-birth-trauma" target="_blank">Sacred Loss: Healing Birth Trauma</a> course, written by Corrine Laan, and my own processes and work as a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising/" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>. I feel very inspired and humbled by this work moving through me. And I also see the vital importance of holding space for mamas who have experienced trauma in the birthing process- coming to wholeness as a mama creates healing and clear space for the next generation. What we need now are awakened, conscious humans. This work is a small but important part of that.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2w5eVkNEaPJHZ7dCSr40yDcIDvpP_C8oC1mF1r3RX7RkVFegU08LRv9DyPDiIdu3hNuT7NWGtaO65pNQljASfWMKtKBnqxDSLmiugFmwvdEYM6VT6ZkNVH9AZgHUHrGCQoWOLPhyCaZA/s1600/HBT+Seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2w5eVkNEaPJHZ7dCSr40yDcIDvpP_C8oC1mF1r3RX7RkVFegU08LRv9DyPDiIdu3hNuT7NWGtaO65pNQljASfWMKtKBnqxDSLmiugFmwvdEYM6VT6ZkNVH9AZgHUHrGCQoWOLPhyCaZA/s1600/HBT+Seal.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am a certified Healing Birth Trauma Circle Leader</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The first week of this course is called Grounding into the Narrative of Birth: Embarkation. We explore mental health, create a container for clear expectations and communication and safe space, deepen our ability to listen in a truly wise and open way, and share our birth stories. We also chart the birth- the charge moments, the highs and lows, the peaks of the experience in a peak experience. We begin to tell our stories- to explore our narratives.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH-TAhvFscJLGKEHMGXgsznrEWFWOHWZFtMQTOoXIuYXkglBwYeJPckFwfoESpaDUCye90jV0I-4NnhavHGCqQ0bh8gLwN5tK7qCOtxaQYJwkpHDiyaN82PZ7yZLN_C0t9vUTC4e2htw/s1600/13754438_10209523363296297_3444710268984395759_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH-TAhvFscJLGKEHMGXgsznrEWFWOHWZFtMQTOoXIuYXkglBwYeJPckFwfoESpaDUCye90jV0I-4NnhavHGCqQ0bh8gLwN5tK7qCOtxaQYJwkpHDiyaN82PZ7yZLN_C0t9vUTC4e2htw/s320/13754438_10209523363296297_3444710268984395759_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />What is the narrative of birth?<br />
<br />
On the most simple level, it is simply a conveyance of the chronology of the birth, the facts, perhaps the feelings. But any woman who has given birth, or approaches birth, knows that it goes much deeper than this.<br />
<br />
Birth will awaken parts of us we didn't know were dormant inside us. It will agitate any part of us that is raw, and sometime soothe us in ways we didn't even know were possible. It will allow us to traverse strange and wonderful lands. It will take us to the edge, again and again, and reveal that beyond our edge there is both the void, and more space yet to travel. It can leave us more whole than we ever imagined, or leave us broken.<br />
<br />
The narrative of birth is all of this: the deep sensuality of birth and how we met it; how we were held (or shamed, or unheard); the lessons, both new and deepened, that it teaches us (and again, both those lessons that served us and those warped lessons that don't); the way birth initiated us into motherhood- with energy or with grief, trauma or empowerment. It's a story but a story far too profound and complex for words alone. It can be told in words, but only partially. It can be danced, but only partially. It can be sung, or painted, screamed, torn, brought to a relational field-- but only partially. We will tell it forever, in many different ways.<br />
<br />
We cannot control the trajectory or outcome of birth; we have a massive job in overcoming social conditioning around the shaming of women's bodies, the fear of birth and the medicalisation of our reproductive systems; and so we cannot ever prevent all birth trauma. But, given the healthy faciliation of a physiological birth process, with a woman clear in her intentions and supported by warm, knowledgable and skilled caregivers, giving birth can become a superbly empowering event. The narrative this woman would take into her motherhood and her wider life will serve her and all those around her in the most positive, nourishing way.<br />
<br />
But what if the birth giving was horrible? Traumatic, haunting, isolating? What of that narrative?<br />
<br />
Something I have seen in my work, is that there is a deep parallel between giving birth, and healing from birth. Both are a manifestation of women's power and strength and above all the feminine energy of giving love in the most amazing ways. Over and over, the women I see come out of birth feeling broken, traumatised and disconnected are the ones who discover a strong sense of wholeness, strength and connection during their healing journeys. <br />
<br />
In healing we have to go to those raw places and confront them (much like the physical and emotional intensity of giving birth). In this we write a new story- instead of shutting down, the very act of striving to heal allows us to rebuild strength, trust, wisdom and self love. We can return to the heart, ever so gently.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtAtprPnaQcfuOEJLWM4kQFbuWh27ee9CNx3xjz1agHUagAOJ4z5BfUx21lM8uSd4YOXlgda4mm-du0Wd1elxoeaboF83EVjxLSCt5qDSYSTBOpUWBYsza212-mQSUCLwf8fxFOYXGeo/s1600/13912671_10209628355481036_3761331322750494790_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtAtprPnaQcfuOEJLWM4kQFbuWh27ee9CNx3xjz1agHUagAOJ4z5BfUx21lM8uSd4YOXlgda4mm-du0Wd1elxoeaboF83EVjxLSCt5qDSYSTBOpUWBYsza212-mQSUCLwf8fxFOYXGeo/s320/13912671_10209628355481036_3761331322750494790_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Birth is never just a narrative of just a few hours, but a whole lifetime, and it's one of those rich and potent times that the narrative of our lives- the way we perceive our lives- can be rewritten. Whether that sacred rewriting happens during birth or during integrating a traumatic birth, the pathway to initiation is there regardless. In this I trust.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you would like to know more about the six week (one morning a week) course, or be kept updated where I am with it's release, please email me at earthysammi@gmail.com, or call me on 0418950793<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0vLuYBNOwo8DlZykXDLF77xcLzpvr6dJHz0ik_qmFX4kU-d_C3OkMpaV2nFRfsimtHJRWx_jOpgETHAVeWEBQ6zZN8XG7kvHmRk50fZVdKrQKzQPHliIZfzpcrD8U_ABjkL1BHy7wZI/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0vLuYBNOwo8DlZykXDLF77xcLzpvr6dJHz0ik_qmFX4kU-d_C3OkMpaV2nFRfsimtHJRWx_jOpgETHAVeWEBQ6zZN8XG7kvHmRk50fZVdKrQKzQPHliIZfzpcrD8U_ABjkL1BHy7wZI/s200/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="font-style: italic;">Copyright Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2016</i></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising/" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and is the publisher of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Sacred Whisper Bellingen</a></div>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ph: 0418 950 793<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-56082817967721028042016-06-10T04:46:00.002-07:002016-06-10T04:47:15.498-07:00Journalling as a Pathway to Becoming Whole<br />
A few years ago I discovered the work of <a href="http://www.animas.org/about-us/our-founder/" target="_blank">Bill Plotkin</a>, a depth psychologist, ecotherapist and wilderness guide. He is the author of Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche, an experiential guide to the wilderness of the soul. It's well worth a read.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-Z8Qh1lfzXvAahpjYyipOuk0fpv9YOjlXmJb5hPVDiiTaYbr3BipmupreYz8GXxhq5VFp4vY0xNru11EFrVkYP3IOOw2L7GWBYvflMMqB1_6TaLKLhcHwJyTuJIzkhhWrhflN4EWhZE/s1600/Soulcraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-Z8Qh1lfzXvAahpjYyipOuk0fpv9YOjlXmJb5hPVDiiTaYbr3BipmupreYz8GXxhq5VFp4vY0xNru11EFrVkYP3IOOw2L7GWBYvflMMqB1_6TaLKLhcHwJyTuJIzkhhWrhflN4EWhZE/s1600/Soulcraft.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
He also authored a book called Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche which details his explorations into personality theory. In it, he discusses the concept of 'wholing':<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYizWPx4fKNkfLO6699kV4DmXiBDQUu_1dcH9yeQFVQLXbxZbhyZSt7vv8Lkgxpy2CsczfyGHgVh5ZxhbKkjfVEyErPVP99dTCQCijXiWgqm0ad9aKLO_SuqXPlfoEFoCNp9P95HWe0w/s1600/Wild+Mind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYizWPx4fKNkfLO6699kV4DmXiBDQUu_1dcH9yeQFVQLXbxZbhyZSt7vv8Lkgxpy2CsczfyGHgVh5ZxhbKkjfVEyErPVP99dTCQCijXiWgqm0ad9aKLO_SuqXPlfoEFoCNp9P95HWe0w/s200/Wild+Mind.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
"Wholing is the foundation for true healing. Some degree of personal wwholing must precede any deep healing, not the other way around. In Western societies, many believe we can't be whole- truly loving, highly creative people contributing to the world- until we have sufficiently healed from our childhood wounds. But I beleive the opposite is the truth: Deep psychological healing is the result of learning how to embrace our woundedness and fragmentedness from the cultivated perspective and consciousness of the Self. We must to some degree cultivate our wholeness before we can truly be healed. Wholing comes first and is foundational (pp26-27)."<br />
<br />
I have taken this concept of wholing into my work. After all, we are complex beings, full of nuance and fluidity amongst the patterns and traits that give our identities structure and form. There are always a multitude of layers that can be explored and nurtured, given a positive intention and a commitment to presence to what arises.<br />
<br />
Journalling is a key tool I use in my work to elicit the holistic awareness required to become more whole: to own all parts of ourselves, including our shadow, to walk the fine line between radical acceptance and loving moulding of ourselves. In journalling we can enter a liminal healing and wholing space.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1f2SG1jUeNAohh694pE0705otNeuXQgev6igJMQua9FiHrS2jiQ2f7obzECYdTG_TdGiYrh9vTqDX8BSYe2nhxjVe2jwOBMZCGE3MDneN7LpNSD-KwVGcjkBVxdOXz51qYra6xnGp-U/s1600/journ+eight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1f2SG1jUeNAohh694pE0705otNeuXQgev6igJMQua9FiHrS2jiQ2f7obzECYdTG_TdGiYrh9vTqDX8BSYe2nhxjVe2jwOBMZCGE3MDneN7LpNSD-KwVGcjkBVxdOXz51qYra6xnGp-U/s400/journ+eight.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Journaling is a rich process. It allows the flow of thought,
feeling and experience that always permeates our walk on this earth, the
ability to be brought to light, gently turned over and caressed, examined, and explored.
It allows us the consciousness and awareness to sculpt a life that is more
aligned to our attentions; to grieve our losses; to celebrate the radiant joys
of our life—to process. In allowing ourselves the reflection time that
journaling provides, we can gain much. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
How you journal is up to you. You may be into reams of
eloquent, beautiful words. You may like to keep it simple. You may find art and
drawing expresses your experience more accurately. Or you may find- especially
keep this in mind in challenging moments and those first few months when the
baby arrives- that all you can manage is words- “angry. Exhausted—desperately
need sleep. Heart soars when little one looks in my eyes”- that is fine too
(and keeping things achievable is important)! There is no wrong way to journal.
Follow your heart wisdom, the rest of you will catch up.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEmEbkKE1MjSqRfThMVr8_GXhKXLxWKlX1Bl1rQRA9L-p6RupsuKrgrpvz3sUo7WLpJ3fbNaQDSFovOTiwe894Q0D4BrCAEqrbQHnsATBjcu7KDzU11kWpjVgAkjycNtnfFnB8AN8olk/s1600/journ+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEmEbkKE1MjSqRfThMVr8_GXhKXLxWKlX1Bl1rQRA9L-p6RupsuKrgrpvz3sUo7WLpJ3fbNaQDSFovOTiwe894Q0D4BrCAEqrbQHnsATBjcu7KDzU11kWpjVgAkjycNtnfFnB8AN8olk/s1600/journ+one.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are new to journaling, here are some tips—<br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -18pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Journaling is not an exercise is literacy or
linguistics. Don’t worry about grammar, spelling and all those things we are
conditioned to worry about. This is about giving you space to process, explore
and reflect on your experience.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -18pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">You can follow prompts, or you can simply write what arises-- or a mixture of both. With time and self
nurturing, the right stuff- that is, the stuff that needs to be processed- will
arise naturally.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -18pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">There is no wrong way to journal</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -18pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">It is great to achieve a state where you are not
censoring your experience in any way. One way to do this is to acknowledge that
which you write is only one facet of your experience, and what may be true in
that moment may not be true in another moment, or the majority of the time.
Sometimes negative things need to be voiced (or written) before they can be let
go of</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -18pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">If you find the process challenging, try this:
Set an alarm for a certain amount of time, say ten minutes, and simply write
whatever comes into your head over that time. It doesn’t need to be relevant or
“pretty”. This is free flow writing, and can be therapeutic and very
surprising!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -18pt;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Journaling can bring up deep issues. If you need
support, it is your right and responsibility to seek further support.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Journal at times when you are assured quiet and
space, and do what you need to do to keep your journal secure and private- of
course you can share what you write with others, but what you share and how is
always your choice.</span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my upcoming <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/the-alchemy-of-traumatic-birth.html" target="_blank">Healing Your Birth: Returning to the Heart After Birth Trauma </a>course, we will use journalling as a key process to both complement and anchor the course work, and to use it as an opportunity to explore what is truly unique to each participant: how this experience has manifested, and continues to manifest in them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseFZWnyXDy5CjmFqNjGCRjOuwAytiohJYsVUNL2frto5zWDiCe7ErMpkTKB6FjYSKpPvu5CvPm3vFf6ipMg6o_C5FncZCqG_aY1gli6wAlUzSnsBox6WMd2olCWVD_ELmzkUzA5ytkL8/s1600/HBT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseFZWnyXDy5CjmFqNjGCRjOuwAytiohJYsVUNL2frto5zWDiCe7ErMpkTKB6FjYSKpPvu5CvPm3vFf6ipMg6o_C5FncZCqG_aY1gli6wAlUzSnsBox6WMd2olCWVD_ELmzkUzA5ytkL8/s320/HBT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sammi Cambray is trained to run Healing Birth Trauma circles through the Sacred Living Movement. Many thanks to Corinne Laan for the teaching, and for permission to use some of the processes in Sammi's Healing Your Birth immersion. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is a little sneak peek into the journalling work we will be doing as part of the Healing Your Birth: Returning to the Heart after Birth Trauma six week (one morning a week) immersion.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1a-bh534c1tgz1UWQxB10OwKQQnSLgVhNstxcpMSV5PBh7yzj5RHBvm473lLvgfoVmqx73ZBtmloriH2SJ8RL8f8Y_2G1c4lx3M1OeCtW1sHhZsZvmyB77i-bLFSFY-UlLsWe6RhwzGs/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1a-bh534c1tgz1UWQxB10OwKQQnSLgVhNstxcpMSV5PBh7yzj5RHBvm473lLvgfoVmqx73ZBtmloriH2SJ8RL8f8Y_2G1c4lx3M1OeCtW1sHhZsZvmyB77i-bLFSFY-UlLsWe6RhwzGs/s640/1.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you would like to know more about the six week (one morning a week) course, or be kept updated where I am with it's release, please email me at earthysammi@gmail.com, or call me on 0418950793<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0vLuYBNOwo8DlZykXDLF77xcLzpvr6dJHz0ik_qmFX4kU-d_C3OkMpaV2nFRfsimtHJRWx_jOpgETHAVeWEBQ6zZN8XG7kvHmRk50fZVdKrQKzQPHliIZfzpcrD8U_ABjkL1BHy7wZI/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0vLuYBNOwo8DlZykXDLF77xcLzpvr6dJHz0ik_qmFX4kU-d_C3OkMpaV2nFRfsimtHJRWx_jOpgETHAVeWEBQ6zZN8XG7kvHmRk50fZVdKrQKzQPHliIZfzpcrD8U_ABjkL1BHy7wZI/s200/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="font-style: italic;">Copyright Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2016</i></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising/" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and is the publisher of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Sacred Whisper Bellingen</a></div>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ph: 0418 950 793</div>
<br /></div>
Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-1921725891121999652016-04-29T06:20:00.000-07:002016-05-03T17:51:32.518-07:00The Alchemy of a Traumatic Birth<br />
There's an alchemy that comes with birthing. There's the changing from maiden to mother, but as magnamanous as that transition is, there is something deeper at work. There's an imbuing: both of the particular lessons needed in mothering this little child, which sometimes needs close examination and a brave heart. And, if held well by the circles surrounding the mother, she will also be imbued into a deeper sense and connection to who she is at her highest: her unique vibration and soul purpose and how the divine is channeled through her and only her.<br />
<br />
Sadly, tragically, this often doesn't happen. There are a myriad of reasons why it doesn't happen, and that complexity will need to wait for a future post. Suffice to say, it doesn't always happen, the mama doesn't always step into her motherhood connected strongly to the wellsprings of empowerment and love and bonding and intuition and <i>knowing</i> that is there within her. Sometimes, this is because she has experienced trauma in her birth giving (this can also include her pregnancy and post natal time).<br />
<br />
When a mama has experienced trauma, a different type of alchemy occurs. This alchemy can be just as rich, and in a strange way, beautiful as that which comes from a blissful, satisfying birth. It's not easy, and hopefully a vast array of support can encircle the mama to do this important work. Healing from a traumatic birth experience holds a power and alchemy all of it's own: the digging down right to the viscera, to the bones, the roots, and uncovering from woundedness, a deeper and more nourishing sense of self and what it is to be a mama.<br />
<br />
This work is vital. When a mama is called, she needs to immerse herself into it, or become stagnant, stay in the woundedness or disconnect from her heart.<br />
<br />
The process for healing will look different for each woman, and often it is difficult to know the path ahead- it relys on a heart-centredness which can be very difficult to engage with when recovering from a traumatic experience. Getting back into the heart, and feeling at least a little safe in that space, is the first step.<br />
<br />
My work is deeply informed by the inherent power that lies within the alchemical potential of birth, whether it be from a blissful birth, or in standing as a sacred witness and guide to the process of integrating a traumatic birth experience. I have spent a number of years now focusing on birth trauma work, and will never retire a sense of awe of just how important the rite of passage of giving birth is for a woman.<br />
<br />
This doesn't just reside in my professional life, however. The sacred catalyst for this direction in my life came from my own first birth-giving. The birth of my first child was the most distressing, wounding event of my life. It was harrowing and the weeks and months that followed, though joyous, where also tainted by the extra stress of experiencing acute post traumatic stress.<br />
<br />
It was hard. To go into that sort of process, when I had a new little baby who was so demanding (and adorable), and I had to master so many new skills and knowledge and emotions-- it was hard.<br />
<br />
But it happened, I integrated the birth, went on to have three more positive births and channel my experiences into my work. I took my counselling qualifications and focused on birth, and more specifically, helping other women who had sustained trauma in birthing.<br />
<br />
Last year, as I gestated my last baby, I dove back into that process again. I undertook training in <a href="http://www.sacredlivingmovement.com/#!healing-birth-trauma/c1i2w" target="_blank">Sacred Loss: Healing Birth Trauma</a>, produced by Corinne Laan for the <a href="http://www.sacredlivingmovement.com/" target="_blank">Sacred Living Movement</a>.<br />
<br />
If you read <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7018160685284346313#editor/target=post;postID=3266431158830698369;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=1;src=postname" target="_blank">my post last week</a>, you would already be clued up about the beautiful creative process I am having in gently, alluringly, approaching my work again with the most open heart,joy and love. A big part of my time has been spent revisiting the Sacred Loss: Healing Birth Trauma training, sifting through my own experiences as a mama, a doula and a counsellor, and crafting something new.<br />
<br />
It's a six week (one morning a week) immersion into healing birth trauma, and more specifically, the alchemy of returning to the heart. It's a bunch of processes: journallings, meditations, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7018160685284346313#editor/target=post;postID=1642435098701118758;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=11;src=postname" target="_blank">deep listening and being witnessed</a>, ritual, practical skills and knowledge, art therapy and more, that aims to take a woman from her place of trauma and hurt, meet that experience with gentleness, sensitivity and awareness, and create a lighter, more integrated and open space for her to step into- both for her own wellbeing, and for her experience of mothering.<br />
<br />
I am excited to share it soon. I am finishing the draft course, and will piloting it in the coming weeks. It will be out in the community in deep midwinter- a fortuitous time for deep inner work.<br />
My Course and the creative process<br />
<br />
My intention is to sit with mamas who are hurting, or are disconnected or disassociating from their experience, to nourish them, to listen in humbleness and openness and complete lack of judgement, to see the light in them, and to help them see that light to. Because we all have it, no matter what we have been through.<br />
<br />
<i><b>If you would like to know more about the six week course, or be kept updated or where I am at with it's release, please email me on mamarising@gmail.com, or call me on 0418950793.</b></i><br />
<br />
At present I am looking at running it in Bellingen, and would be open to running it within a couple of hours radius- Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Macksville, Armidale, Coffs Harbour, Grafton and surrounds.<br />
<br />
If the work of integrating your traumatic birth experience calls to you, but my particular offer doesn't sing to you, here's some other places you can reach out to get the support you deserve:<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">
Mental Health Access Line NSW (24 hours): 1800 011 511</span><br />
<span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Lifeline (24 hours telephone crisis counselling): </span><span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">13 11 14</span><span class="EOP SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><span class="SpellingError SCX133137816" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><span class="SpellingError SCX133137816" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-image: url("data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Birthtalk</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">:</span><span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"> </span><a class="Hyperlink SCX133137816" href="http://birthtalk.org/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; cursor: text; font-family: inherit; font-size: 6pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCX133137816" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX133137816" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">http://birthtalk.org/</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"> </span><span class="EOP SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia</span><span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">)</span><span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">:</span><span class="EOP SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Helpline- Mon to Fri 10am to 5pm </span><span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">1300 726 306</span><span class="EOP SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="color: #123740; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right; text-indent: 48px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">http://www.panda.org.au/</span><span class="EOP SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right; text-indent: 48px;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Pregnancy, Birth and Babies Helpline (24 hours): </span><span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">1800 882 436</span><span class="EOP SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">Perinatal Psychologist, Coffs Harbour Hospital (free for antenatal and </span><span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU">post natal</span><span class="TextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-AU"> appointments, contact through Primary Health: </span><a class="Hyperlink SCX133137816" href="http://javascript:void(0)/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; cursor: text; font-family: inherit; font-size: 6pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCX133137816" style="color: #1a0dab; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" xml:lang="EN-AU"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX133137816" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(02) 6656 7000</span></span></a><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></span><span class="EOP SCX133137816" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX133137816" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
</div>
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX133137816" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="Paragraph SCX133137816" paraeid="{ed82eb1d-279b-4764-93fd-8cf88f793b0d}{194}" paraid="1888678992" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-user-select: text; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-size: 6pt; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre; word-wrap: break-word;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19px; white-space: normal;"> </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
Go well mama. May your healing be swift, deep and heart centred.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<i style="clear: left; font-family: 'plantagenet cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguf478dXldhe8HlubqpYb65y8-VbC1asN44_wV0PUCvUwgxwhMdwuP9FIddnxlp_5IYE8hfVvsXiUFoK5wFuq2NCT7emkz3Z4v44EmDC1ACaIPB2AIV1kfkIaPiKZtbkXYeJrMp9DP1VQ/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2016</a></i><br />
<br />
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and the publisher of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sacred Whisper Bellingen</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
Ph: <span class="skype_c2c_container" dir="ltr" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">0418 950 793</span></span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span class="skype_c2c_container" dir="ltr" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span"><span class="skype_c2c_text_span"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-32664311588306983692016-04-22T04:39:00.000-07:002016-04-22T04:39:28.213-07:00Shakti Energy Flowing<br />
<br />
.... where the dynamics of the creativity of mothering, and the creativity that flows further afield from my tribe intersects.<br />
<br />
<br />
A year and a half ago, I was in a sweet place. My youngest was growing slowly into a deeper sense of independance, our family moved to the most gorgeous mudbrick palace out in the bush, and my work was feeding me (if not literally, at least metaphorically). I was studying holistic postpartum care, was working with lots of clients in my counselling practice, and attended my first birth as a doula. The fine threads of my passions and skills and knowledge were being woven together into a tapestry that was my medicine, my soul work in the world.<br />
<br />
<br />
And then, as life does, the illusion of being centred and in control was firmly tested. In the most delicious, joyful and heart opening way.<br />
<br />
Along came Quilla! A baby who came with a quiet sense of knowing and determination, as one years ended and I set my heart to intentions and beginnings and renewal. A surprise baby, but so loved. My fourth.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZQ7kgZdXwATjNIHicRElXnSyNALnw2uTg6uvcEalQphk2FVK6J3vlZNvBDPDYmbY-HoQY8tXRbbhtgQ7RvWJbzg15aqk74pPlE6TVHd-ZlIMS49ICn_Nrspo1DlD8egT629yAVJGoa8/s1600/quilla+born.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZQ7kgZdXwATjNIHicRElXnSyNALnw2uTg6uvcEalQphk2FVK6J3vlZNvBDPDYmbY-HoQY8tXRbbhtgQ7RvWJbzg15aqk74pPlE6TVHd-ZlIMS49ICn_Nrspo1DlD8egT629yAVJGoa8/s1600/quilla+born.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Birth of Quilla</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxp8M5WJvmy2VI75XgY9-VD6wPsyFA9-C2hYTqomJmLCYKudQCAhWGkaOFqaYgHOof11kjQHRzjiSplu0Qknz8luwVwFpSPgPj_JmZ0Y-VHGjdESC0ldzcGECId5eCtplua7RwH2sl-00/s1600/quilla+then.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxp8M5WJvmy2VI75XgY9-VD6wPsyFA9-C2hYTqomJmLCYKudQCAhWGkaOFqaYgHOof11kjQHRzjiSplu0Qknz8luwVwFpSPgPj_JmZ0Y-VHGjdESC0ldzcGECId5eCtplua7RwH2sl-00/s320/quilla+then.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those precious fleeting newborn weeks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So that divine energy went inward again, it was a tricky pregnancy and took a lot of focus. Work could wait. These precious experiences of carrying my youngest child couldn't. Those experiences are, perhaps, a story for another day. But at the heart of it all, was the gorgeous yumminess of the life created. A birth that tested me on all levels and reaffirmed everything I believed in, and then taught me about my own power and endurance I always had within. The most delicious babymooning. Hours of gazing, of her deeply sleeping form on my chest. Of midnight snuggles and midday giggles (and often the other way around).<br />
<br />
Quilla is seven months old now- divine little being.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsdu1e3xF1KUW6ndhP3HRf8jr9v0wBEUnQy8znyoezkhhk4yR2SEEFCM556E7PBu2ZDfgXnspF51RJ9eN0KlUotLqMe6Q1rRh_2RBvWhBCYXF7LUbkX1ODx6LwQQR3b9RWLbWTPeC9OQ/s1600/quilla+now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsdu1e3xF1KUW6ndhP3HRf8jr9v0wBEUnQy8znyoezkhhk4yR2SEEFCM556E7PBu2ZDfgXnspF51RJ9eN0KlUotLqMe6Q1rRh_2RBvWhBCYXF7LUbkX1ODx6LwQQR3b9RWLbWTPeC9OQ/s320/quilla+now.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joy is her natural state</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The Shakti energy never stays inward in me and my mothering for long though. I am a deeply introverted person, but also a woman of paradox... creativity channelled outwards is my most nourishing source of the sweet nectar of life. Quilla's birth has brought me, a little surprisingly, a greater sense of energy and vitality with which to meet the Shakti creativity in me. Many nights have been spent writing or working on various other projects of mine. The shift has been made, and it is time to work a little of my medicine again.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MQBqtBgelnI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MQBqtBgelnI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Find your medicine and use it!- Nahko Bear</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
With that comes a call for mindfulness, of course. My priority is the welbeing, safeguarding and nurturing of my children (and myself). I fully realise and attune to the responsibility to work in a way that nourishes both me, and my children, individually and as a tribe. One part of my awareness needs to be on this every day; a reflectiveness that will aid both my work and my mothering. For now, work needs to be predictable: no leaving the house at short notice in the middle of the after school rush to attend a birth for me! Rhythms, schedules, start times and end times... they are all a good thing right now.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyl65Sqx6qTY0VaAH_T4ei1XqwOcO31WYjO-SqWtQdEn9tQFBGBY_8PfwTmuaTNdZOJeZYVn6KtZ8QFKxkKqPmebqupGwvZOZVMrIxCVK0Dyz-XRi2nQ3bQpHLssMQ575EJtpMvfaOGE/s1600/jaiko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyl65Sqx6qTY0VaAH_T4ei1XqwOcO31WYjO-SqWtQdEn9tQFBGBY_8PfwTmuaTNdZOJeZYVn6KtZ8QFKxkKqPmebqupGwvZOZVMrIxCVK0Dyz-XRi2nQ3bQpHLssMQ575EJtpMvfaOGE/s320/jaiko.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqogCSVkSI2ZzHyF3JRhSVH5ONLvpTnqmHl8vty-1q0yIZipkZ0AXiGZrVkVgwATuLT0ejnjF_kJYmypaYvO4VmhbaEBlk3ILoiJKRwONiENQqaS7btETt19V-GoNhCUb8Q8KPITCNJ8/s1600/12994438_10208763709505427_4867269705935179307_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqogCSVkSI2ZzHyF3JRhSVH5ONLvpTnqmHl8vty-1q0yIZipkZ0AXiGZrVkVgwATuLT0ejnjF_kJYmypaYvO4VmhbaEBlk3ILoiJKRwONiENQqaS7btETt19V-GoNhCUb8Q8KPITCNJ8/s320/12994438_10208763709505427_4867269705935179307_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTNdn5aRolwLMFrpn5chNZDxC8cibw8x_BDJTLOVBZebww4hFl2Mzzl0uPP74H5P3aWwBEKu_F2yaX1_H5WI5pW0w8fW1OY0g2tLcIZ8OQJ3bxgHLf27hrC_f517oJPLspBB35H9NjrA/s1600/12548858_10207947094250556_3035334164410563253_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTNdn5aRolwLMFrpn5chNZDxC8cibw8x_BDJTLOVBZebww4hFl2Mzzl0uPP74H5P3aWwBEKu_F2yaX1_H5WI5pW0w8fW1OY0g2tLcIZ8OQJ3bxgHLf27hrC_f517oJPLspBB35H9NjrA/s320/12548858_10207947094250556_3035334164410563253_n.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These four are my compass and my heart</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
There's also a refreshing degree of freedom in this, as I am able to choose what serves me best and inspires me most, rather than going for what will make the most for the family financially. It's a time to hone and explore and play as well as work.<br />
<br />
And so I move back to my work with <a href="http://www.sacred-pregnancy.com/" target="_blank">Sacred Pregnancy.</a> This blog, a perfect little project for my Gemini soul. During Quilla's pregnancy I undertook training in <a href="http://www.sacredlivingmovement.com/#!healing-birth-trauma/c1i2w" target="_blank">Sacred Loss: Healing Birth Trauma </a>(which is one of my most passionate areas to work in), and am very close to piloting a six week course that is a combination of the Sacred Loss work and my own processes. (Stay tuned for more info).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseFZWnyXDy5CjmFqNjGCRjOuwAytiohJYsVUNL2frto5zWDiCe7ErMpkTKB6FjYSKpPvu5CvPm3vFf6ipMg6o_C5FncZCqG_aY1gli6wAlUzSnsBox6WMd2olCWVD_ELmzkUzA5ytkL8/s1600/HBT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseFZWnyXDy5CjmFqNjGCRjOuwAytiohJYsVUNL2frto5zWDiCe7ErMpkTKB6FjYSKpPvu5CvPm3vFf6ipMg6o_C5FncZCqG_aY1gli6wAlUzSnsBox6WMd2olCWVD_ELmzkUzA5ytkL8/s320/HBT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am now a qualified Healing Birth Trauma circle leader for Sacred Pregnancy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I am currently training in Sacred Beginnings, an eight week course to nurture mamas and their new little earthside babies. I will also be finishing my study on the Art of Sacred Post Partum (holistic postnatal care), and will soon begin training in running Blessingways/Mama Blessings... I've got my eye on Birth Journey courses, work with chakras and crystals and ceremonies and ritual for honouring babies.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4xd2MMLET7MuyCEer0h8oo80DF4Fhs2-EufIRTbpB6_NN_sj2JoOoG2FUga6gw4i7l_JcHd3yjhrqFGeng0vRtEjgorPQs0hP_5JF7k5HW2xSfUPTSgEEckXyTAaH8WnKEbs3rKiEfY/s1600/aospp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4xd2MMLET7MuyCEer0h8oo80DF4Fhs2-EufIRTbpB6_NN_sj2JoOoG2FUga6gw4i7l_JcHd3yjhrqFGeng0vRtEjgorPQs0hP_5JF7k5HW2xSfUPTSgEEckXyTAaH8WnKEbs3rKiEfY/s1600/aospp.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIW94YN6HjqAbki7gZQem7bPqkfdBqFWs8J5NKHgA00iSMMCu26Bnea9C1AhGLeQD7tOGJu2UBgPTMIxJgAeY5hueqto_pIYdsTsvyK8D1oqGQGAJOGeJWczewIX-TzqUs2L0Mxl7Zx0/s1600/sacred+beginnings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIW94YN6HjqAbki7gZQem7bPqkfdBqFWs8J5NKHgA00iSMMCu26Bnea9C1AhGLeQD7tOGJu2UBgPTMIxJgAeY5hueqto_pIYdsTsvyK8D1oqGQGAJOGeJWczewIX-TzqUs2L0Mxl7Zx0/s1600/sacred+beginnings.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ICfxTg_RMSpljlLWahE1uoZsPkHQb3BTM5HcMD6C_1tC0J2lDqzQweU_ViK1h7zc4R9LLK5-vN31JZJGvdSmdax-05kcRdFEeuwbuxSKEnwQ9ydFJX1k-aCUYAdbNcNjm5Zm2GWcLnM/s1600/mother+blessing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ICfxTg_RMSpljlLWahE1uoZsPkHQb3BTM5HcMD6C_1tC0J2lDqzQweU_ViK1h7zc4R9LLK5-vN31JZJGvdSmdax-05kcRdFEeuwbuxSKEnwQ9ydFJX1k-aCUYAdbNcNjm5Zm2GWcLnM/s320/mother+blessing.png" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
There is also something very, VERY special coming up in March next year which I can't wait to talk about!<br />
<br />
This is all a part of that tapestry that is coming back together in my life... one with four children now, with writing, counselling, doula work and holistic birth education. One where I live in a gorgeous soulful town, where sitting on the earth is great nourishment, where I am overcome with laughter or tears with my soul sisters and friends, where my children play up the street and go to the most amazing school and where my lover and I connect and bicker and make love and hang out washing together and drink far too much coffee together.<br />
<br />
It's a beautiful life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNNTU0IaWDqyVsgcqbgsBcxoy0KJXvPSu0XPRNOJPrXaxHB5rd4hLsWwWKmMc8swc9b6LwiGPQbOLYRWmfp8xqhA-EDpyzI5e46GkuDOgXxSkv5CH-IwZIHaOYh2DbhZqidJbIe9ukao/s1600/mary-olivers-quotes-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNNTU0IaWDqyVsgcqbgsBcxoy0KJXvPSu0XPRNOJPrXaxHB5rd4hLsWwWKmMc8swc9b6LwiGPQbOLYRWmfp8xqhA-EDpyzI5e46GkuDOgXxSkv5CH-IwZIHaOYh2DbhZqidJbIe9ukao/s320/mary-olivers-quotes-7.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
If you would like more information on the Healing Birth Trauma course, or any of my work, please call me on 0418950793 or email earthysammi@gmail.com<br />
<br />
Let's start a discussion! What are your creative outlets? How does this intersect, or diverge, from your parenting?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0vLuYBNOwo8DlZykXDLF77xcLzpvr6dJHz0ik_qmFX4kU-d_C3OkMpaV2nFRfsimtHJRWx_jOpgETHAVeWEBQ6zZN8XG7kvHmRk50fZVdKrQKzQPHliIZfzpcrD8U_ABjkL1BHy7wZI/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0vLuYBNOwo8DlZykXDLF77xcLzpvr6dJHz0ik_qmFX4kU-d_C3OkMpaV2nFRfsimtHJRWx_jOpgETHAVeWEBQ6zZN8XG7kvHmRk50fZVdKrQKzQPHliIZfzpcrD8U_ABjkL1BHy7wZI/s200/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguf478dXldhe8HlubqpYb65y8-VbC1asN44_wV0PUCvUwgxwhMdwuP9FIddnxlp_5IYE8hfVvsXiUFoK5wFuq2NCT7emkz3Z4v44EmDC1ACaIPB2AIV1kfkIaPiKZtbkXYeJrMp9DP1VQ/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<br />
<br />
<i style="clear: left; font-family: 'plantagenet cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguf478dXldhe8HlubqpYb65y8-VbC1asN44_wV0PUCvUwgxwhMdwuP9FIddnxlp_5IYE8hfVvsXiUFoK5wFuq2NCT7emkz3Z4v44EmDC1ACaIPB2AIV1kfkIaPiKZtbkXYeJrMp9DP1VQ/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2016</a></i><br />
<br />
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and the publisher of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sacred Whisper Bellingen</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
Ph: <span class="skype_c2c_container" dir="ltr" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">0418 950 793</span></span></span></span></div>
<br />Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-19749748880532893762015-01-08T15:20:00.000-08:002015-08-21T23:51:34.196-07:00Bellingen Baby- Natural Birth and Parenting Support GroupA few years ago, I was humbled to take on a most honouring role: the coordinator of Bellingen Baby, our local natural birth and parenting support group. I was handed the role by the most amazing and inspiring woman: Mieke. Mieke runs <a href="http://www.lovetobirth.com.au/index.html" target="_blank">Love to Birth</a> doula services, and is studying and raising a large and vibrant brood of children. When it was time to take the role on, I took in, in trembling, but excited hands.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPRcvQHRAi3IFnN8AYM4jLRsOpHW_pCFWSoM5Ymcsj1SJ-vYLxp4okJLfgsSQmMIwPRjG_-kTUptgdp5Tg6HI7CrXTMesbTLEA8J_tZlrduU2tLVyBUkIrIWkR5Tq3Erfpgmz5WuEVAk/s1600/big+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPRcvQHRAi3IFnN8AYM4jLRsOpHW_pCFWSoM5Ymcsj1SJ-vYLxp4okJLfgsSQmMIwPRjG_-kTUptgdp5Tg6HI7CrXTMesbTLEA8J_tZlrduU2tLVyBUkIrIWkR5Tq3Erfpgmz5WuEVAk/s1600/big+logo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bellingen Baby logo </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Bellingen Baby is a group that was created many years ago- I think we are around the three decade mark, I would have been just a little cherubic bub myself when those first women were gathering in circle- as the Mid North Coast Homebirth Support Group. The impulse of the group, whilst it has shifted slightly from homebirth to natural birth in all locations, is to provide a safe, held space for birthing mamas and papas to find a path for birth and parenting that feels authentic and nourishing for them and their baby.<br />
<br />
We hold monthly workshops on a different topic each time: in the past some of the most energetic and engaging discussions have been around sex after birthing; nappy free/elimination communication; herbal remedies for families; art as a tool to prepare for birth, belly dancing for birth... some topics are highly practical, some are deeply emotive. Sometimes we have a guest speaker, and sometimes the magic resides in the wisdom of the group. All this is provided for just a five dollar donation per family- making this (r)evolutionary information available to all- and children and babies are of course most welcome.<br />
<br />
I can remember the wonderful moment in my life that I found out the Bellingen Baby existing. My partner, tiny baby Bodhi and I were sitting at Riversong Cafe (the space which is now occupied by the Purple Carrot). We often came up to Bellingen for a day or two, knowing that it was our soul home and one day we would physically make the move here too. I wandered over to Kombu (which was where the Alternatives Bookshop is now) and perused the always interesting noticeboard outside.<br />
<br />
And there it was, in all it's divine, hippy-esque beauty a flyer for Bellingen Baby. The topic for the month was The Moon as a Divine Metaphor for the Feminine, I think it was being run by <a href="http://www.moondiary.com.au/shekhinah.html" target="_blank">Shekinhah</a>. I was so excited, I yelped, and grabbed Zai, who, with a mouthful of food in his mouth and chatting to the waitress was a little non-plussed to be dragged from his seat, and showed him. There is a NATURAL BIRTH AND PARENTING GROUP HERE, we just didn't HAVE THIS KIND OF THING where we came from. AND IT HAPPENS EVERY MONTH. And this month they are TALKING ABOUT THE MOON AND FEMINITY. Holy crap, Zai, there are people TALKING MY LANGUAGE and they are RIGHT HERE IN THIS TOWN!!<br />
<br />
Zai smiled, probably patted me on the head and went back to eating.<br />
<br />
(Incedently, I missed that workshop, but we came up to Bellingen monthly after that, on the third Monday of the month, to go to Bello Baby...and when we finally did move to Bellingen about a year later, the VERY first things we did- like, twelve minutes after we arrived, was to go to a Bellingen Baby workshop. That one was on birth mandalas-- Creativity as a tool for birth-- and was run by the wise and respected Joie, the original founder of the homebirth group!)<br />
<br />
And the great news is, Bellingen Baby is back this year...it kind of fell off the radar last year for me, in between all the other passions in my life. But the time has come to call the circle back in. We have some awesome women helping out this year (which I am really excited about) and I can just viscerally feel the potential for all those deep, rich, heart centred topics we will explore this year.<br />
<br />
And so, I invite you to:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bellingen Baby New Year Gathering</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bellies, babies, older children and families welcome</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
3pm Tuesday 13th January</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lavender's Bridge, Bellingen, North Side</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bring Your Ideas for topics to explore this year</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bring a plate, if you can manage it</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For more info, call Sammi on 0418 950 793.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You can also join our Bellingen Baby facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/362781929734/" target="_blank">here</a>, and/or text me your email address and I will add you to the newsletter list. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8x2BP5u4VG6PdaHmynbL8XJHldzKW-PaMvYziZ-zU0NiJPAsev64q71-wPzG4YzlUU-L6rMwgbJ8J09ua0gRhzUILCDr4p9S5DdpKlmkbFFaeQ71yCJdC1YJbjiyeULQe3ZkBc88LVM/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8x2BP5u4VG6PdaHmynbL8XJHldzKW-PaMvYziZ-zU0NiJPAsev64q71-wPzG4YzlUU-L6rMwgbJ8J09ua0gRhzUILCDr4p9S5DdpKlmkbFFaeQ71yCJdC1YJbjiyeULQe3ZkBc88LVM/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #444444; border: medium none; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Plantagenet Cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #444444; border: medium none; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Plantagenet Cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #444444; border: medium none; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Plantagenet Cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>© Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2014</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and the publisher of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sacred Whisper Bellingen</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #444444; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
Ph: <span class="skype_c2c_container" dir="ltr" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">0418 950 793</span></span></span></span></div>
Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-65293506899770566782015-01-08T14:17:00.000-08:002015-01-08T14:38:15.966-08:00Word Medicine: Handmade Birth Journals<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLVxXyZYTFgK08lv93CEc0W9GsC5BRbV9uJJvW_lzlRTB7db9SCfsRCrZu1oEu0h4SPBCFdKcApVyRZmvguYyLtbwIotL3NZN14tvjK2Bi0p6an3_vDDHqgzbwah_1U5vhFyFCyJZ9v8/s1600/journ+nine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLVxXyZYTFgK08lv93CEc0W9GsC5BRbV9uJJvW_lzlRTB7db9SCfsRCrZu1oEu0h4SPBCFdKcApVyRZmvguYyLtbwIotL3NZN14tvjK2Bi0p6an3_vDDHqgzbwah_1U5vhFyFCyJZ9v8/s1600/journ+nine.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blank canvas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This morning, whilst listening to the sweet deep sounds of divine feminine singer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9M0ISOljuc" target="_blank">Peruquios</a>, I am creating the most delicious gift for a mama I am having the honour of attending right now. She birthed a beautiful baby girl twelve days ago, and I have loved the process of prenatal, birth and postnatal doula work.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc1AXsfrxkTkwOS2w756Ryefcu2LJfc3CxOKoab19ZIt7Rd1WDqRQ7dbxPPMh-04xwJr7Yd5hqPsVY7b8iPWPDQEbSig5u_yp8pWPCzOnEvsl5aAuujBw1kNH-6jsmiu9URr6pmi4Vb9g/s1600/journ+eight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc1AXsfrxkTkwOS2w756Ryefcu2LJfc3CxOKoab19ZIt7Rd1WDqRQ7dbxPPMh-04xwJr7Yd5hqPsVY7b8iPWPDQEbSig5u_yp8pWPCzOnEvsl5aAuujBw1kNH-6jsmiu9URr6pmi4Vb9g/s1600/journ+eight.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cfA9j2_zvR_L4cfCcj_QpVMYBB8lAwKMop_aVYEka-2ujc44fLfhhqflUGN7p2HHdSRooJmgTjhcHfV4dJ5rzUv4OJd8GvS0etCIAmv-C9SeoMwjhWQKbaJ1GTmN7-VjRqKKMCE1AcQ/s1600/journ+five.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cfA9j2_zvR_L4cfCcj_QpVMYBB8lAwKMop_aVYEka-2ujc44fLfhhqflUGN7p2HHdSRooJmgTjhcHfV4dJ5rzUv4OJd8GvS0etCIAmv-C9SeoMwjhWQKbaJ1GTmN7-VjRqKKMCE1AcQ/s1600/journ+five.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Word medicine from my own birth journal (a trilogy!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
As part of the<a href="http://www.sacredpregnancy.com/sacred-pregnancy-training/mother-roasting-retreats/" target="_blank"> Art of Sacred Postpartum</a> training I am undertaking, we learn how to create handmade birth journals for our mamas. This activity resonated so deeply for me, for if I follow myself down to the very core of who I am, I am a story teller, and a holder of stories. There is a lyric from a <a href="http://www.mamakin.com/" target="_blank">Mama Kin</a> song- My Friend that goes "You're the alchemist, you're the holder of so many stories, you grab the stars and light the way home,"<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jUAbj5CZ3e_jTNsWZt-Pd0K0UYRRG49F7aPLCAJiWinuEGJyr6K2vGv-AqYREBfdMAcPteWwuz0KgnKsVpc72Fk0zBa-l8WrBKu9oKJMprrUqiFMRW4L4ZYkbHQb6mmJVwcsrXNF6YE/s1600/journ+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jUAbj5CZ3e_jTNsWZt-Pd0K0UYRRG49F7aPLCAJiWinuEGJyr6K2vGv-AqYREBfdMAcPteWwuz0KgnKsVpc72Fk0zBa-l8WrBKu9oKJMprrUqiFMRW4L4ZYkbHQb6mmJVwcsrXNF6YE/s1600/journ+one.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cover of my own journal- Awakening, nourishment, trust: the shamanic, ecstatic birthings of Sammi Mirabai Seed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That's what I see as my medicine on this earth walk, the sacred path of helping people- and more specifically, birthing mamas- find their story, to sit in honour and nurturing and witness of that divine story; to help them find that point of alchemy where story becomes a source of strength and nourishment and growth for them.<br />
<br />
So on this beautiful sunny summer morning, my partner and children out swimming at the Never Never (morning swims are their favourite!) I am crafting this birth journal for the mama. With my hands that seek to express the gentle love and care- and honour- I feel in my work, I take paints of oceanic hues that soothe her soul to colour the pages. I will scatter words that come to me from my work with her- arising, the art of grief, meeting each surge, sacred emergence, within the borders. I will paste in photos of her and her precious little one. I will draw a little. I will, in the back, write in the birth story from my perspective with all the amazement I held to witness her process. And most importantly, I will leave so many blank pages for her to write her own birth story, to give life to and integrate that story that had become such an integral part of her psyche.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoO34VX8JzRpsN1k7pmKr2RVk1jK8R-YewO0He2NkRrMBuvDIZIJvyF53xggTqyKwmQYJH2C4ZPU4oEKP4ObCZpZ7SeHjhg500ii7JMuWzAPvnSumrZwXS_DDmRrHzgI8upRBRafd3p1Y/s1600/journ+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoO34VX8JzRpsN1k7pmKr2RVk1jK8R-YewO0He2NkRrMBuvDIZIJvyF53xggTqyKwmQYJH2C4ZPU4oEKP4ObCZpZ7SeHjhg500ii7JMuWzAPvnSumrZwXS_DDmRrHzgI8upRBRafd3p1Y/s1600/journ+two.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birth mandalas are the title page for each child's birth story<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here are some photos from the journal I made for myself- because, of course, until I have fully lived the lesson myself I am not equipped to pass it onto others.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nAhoIHYoiZSD8s7g6mCbhORwlmjHj33zMmNKEFHRSvmWZZRofJ8xiti69gpVPB6ZuQ-JKvePhwUf_bNlwv-kn3rJJFH774_v8EXoHD4g-bfpJd_FLCTY2RiCn1pwbGD7lbU57ALRdow/s1600/journ+four.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nAhoIHYoiZSD8s7g6mCbhORwlmjHj33zMmNKEFHRSvmWZZRofJ8xiti69gpVPB6ZuQ-JKvePhwUf_bNlwv-kn3rJJFH774_v8EXoHD4g-bfpJd_FLCTY2RiCn1pwbGD7lbU57ALRdow/s1600/journ+four.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0o6LHcoFQwtiQH4D9OB9-V4IzqZuV_c9FIwrGJY948KRQgSb1aIugBBqAQkZ2GfneDw0PjdarXDDtor5Gi96szx346DtDca8_oVzMEB0I6mm1pTgX-tpFPXuAqGLBWXqnq_QTOiKxwFM/s1600/journ+seven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0o6LHcoFQwtiQH4D9OB9-V4IzqZuV_c9FIwrGJY948KRQgSb1aIugBBqAQkZ2GfneDw0PjdarXDDtor5Gi96szx346DtDca8_oVzMEB0I6mm1pTgX-tpFPXuAqGLBWXqnq_QTOiKxwFM/s1600/journ+seven.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7uD3EYQCdTROflaTPEtAzMODRRVSgAWtxyxVU_abiFbXj6otSwRW9n8JQvoPQ5bhczrWj73b_GfOD5TWAun-RmoFdz5ZXvIxFdXDs1UMPZnhyb2pg4tk_fY1yOxBgN08XZy7WCGASvs/s1600/journ+six.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7uD3EYQCdTROflaTPEtAzMODRRVSgAWtxyxVU_abiFbXj6otSwRW9n8JQvoPQ5bhczrWj73b_GfOD5TWAun-RmoFdz5ZXvIxFdXDs1UMPZnhyb2pg4tk_fY1yOxBgN08XZy7WCGASvs/s1600/journ+six.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evocative pictures<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_NISj3m0mwhzhvNfFPViFgeWFvJ7GTU3YxEXnLU0EzskOV2PHD7Uc9UJJVN4mxtA6CyybyRZl_R9XvIGLotcwqOmFFuBD7GQ1RoIeEd0p2HvRclu-8-3064y8rFZmbFaIxA1R2jqPitk/s1600/journ+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_NISj3m0mwhzhvNfFPViFgeWFvJ7GTU3YxEXnLU0EzskOV2PHD7Uc9UJJVN4mxtA6CyybyRZl_R9XvIGLotcwqOmFFuBD7GQ1RoIeEd0p2HvRclu-8-3064y8rFZmbFaIxA1R2jqPitk/s1600/journ+three.jpg" /></a><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
How did you creatively celebrate and integrate your birthings? How do the pictures here make you feel?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8x2BP5u4VG6PdaHmynbL8XJHldzKW-PaMvYziZ-zU0NiJPAsev64q71-wPzG4YzlUU-L6rMwgbJ8J09ua0gRhzUILCDr4p9S5DdpKlmkbFFaeQ71yCJdC1YJbjiyeULQe3ZkBc88LVM/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8x2BP5u4VG6PdaHmynbL8XJHldzKW-PaMvYziZ-zU0NiJPAsev64q71-wPzG4YzlUU-L6rMwgbJ8J09ua0gRhzUILCDr4p9S5DdpKlmkbFFaeQ71yCJdC1YJbjiyeULQe3ZkBc88LVM/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" height="200" width="195" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Plantagenet Cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Plantagenet Cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Plantagenet Cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><i>© Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2014</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and the publisher of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sacred Whisper Bellingen</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
Ph: <span class="skype_c2c_container" dir="ltr" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">0418 950 793</span></span></span></span></div>
Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-10786209615600659712014-11-09T14:56:00.000-08:002014-11-09T14:56:11.983-08:00The Art of Spew- Memoirs of a Vomit BugI have this knack for manifesting exactly what I need right now. Sitting on the verandah floor, (and a too much information warning coming up!) throwing up into an old red bucket which I grasp with one arm, and holding my other hand out to catch the vomit spewing out of my littlest one's mouth, a bewildered and shocked look on his face... I am okay with this, I thought. Just please, let it be quick. Intense, and quick.<br />
<br />
And quick- and intense- was what I got. By the time my partner came home on the mercy dash, having got the dreaded text message an hour earlier, I was just about purged. He found me slumped on the front step, where I had landed a while before, and I was unable to move. So exhausted from the full body engagement of letting go, from helping the baby through his ordeal, cleaning him up, me up, the space up... He smiled sympathically and went to find our little one, who was by now happily playing with his brother and sister. <br />
<br />
Three hours, fourteen vomits, and I was done. I finally managed to crawl into the shower, and allowed myself to crouch under those precious drops for a long time, threw up once more, and fell naked and cold into bed. My biggest little one came in a few minutes later, and pulled a blanket over me, and took the message to his dad that I wanted ginger tea. In his own beautiful caring way, he brought me some slivers of ginger he had cut to chew on, and my daughter (who had been in the throes of the bug two days prior) came and lay with me, whispering "I know, I know."<br />
<br />
Whenever I have a vomit bug, I can feel the parallels between giving birth and throwing up. Both are all consuming, when they get to that point of full bodily engagement. In both, our verbosity rendered less of a tool- but our voices can be amazingly healing (I am a noisy birther, and noisy moaner when sick). Both show us the power and totality of our bodies ability to do whatever it needs to do to get the process done, no matter how we feel about the process.<br />
<br />
Knowing this ( a lesson from previous bugs) I wanted to go deeper. Can I touch some of that special place we go to inside of ourselves, that trancy, magic space of birth, amidst all this bodily discomfort and yuckiness? The big words inside my head was : GO WITH YOUR INSTINCT.<br />
<br />
And for me, that was the point of letting go. Even when I am sick, I think I try to hold onto things- ensure my children are okay, and reassuring them I am okay (they have a fascination with watching me spew, as I am sure many people do). Washing out and then rinsing the bucket after every spew. Taking small sips of water after every spew.<br />
<br />
This time, I didn't. Short of making sure Koa was laying down next to me on a towel wherever I ended up (in his less chirpy moments) and doing what I needed to do to support him, I let all of this go. I went to the spots of the house I needed to. The front steps and the breeze and openness there was right for me- even though my vomity aria was probably an unwelcome soundscape to the neighbours across the gully. I didn't get up to clean up, and totally surrendered to that feeling of being wiped out. I adamantly felt not to put anything in my stomach, not even a sip of water. This process needed to be a complete and pure purge- something needed to come out, beyond the physical, and I needed to allow the space for that.<br />
<br />
I found myself staring at trees, (as I often do in labour), feeling their strength and their eternity. I breathed into this amazing feeling of transcendance. Yes, the awful nausea and dizziness and pain was there- but so too was acceptance, gratitude and beauty.<br />
<br />
And when I finally collapsed into bed, still sick but knowing the vomiting was done, it was blissful and pure and transcedent too. Even though two days later I still feel a little sick, and incredibly tired and run down, there is thankfulness.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, my husband returned to work, but two hours later than usual on a Sunday morning, and that was so recuperative for me. The children and I spent a day snuggled up on the bed in the spare room (where I had slept the night before, my little retreat nest), reading, or cuddling. I was still feeling so weak. I dipped into a book that was visually and mentally soothing and inspiring for me, and felt that this is where the real gold is.<br />
<br />
In my family, we have a rhythm: for every sick day, we take a recovery day. A day off too nourish, nurture, come back to ourselves. Now this doesn't often happen easily for me, being a mama as I am, with a house to clean, children to feed, sibling fights (oh, the endless sibling fights!) to mediate...But I was able to get a sense of it, the gold that the recovery time holds. It's not the purging itself, or the illness that holds the healing (or not primarily, perhaps), but the space afterwards. If I am still, and sit with it, I can feel the light entering each cell. I notice the way I relate to the children is gentler, and more conscious. I find myself visioning what I want to bring more of into my life, how that would look and feel. Gladly letting go of that which does not serve.<br />
<br />
If I could truly hold and honour that healing time for myself, how would I grow and evolve? And if I could facilitate that quiet, magic time for my children, how beautifully would they blossom?<br />
<br />
That is my intention I hold up today: that I may truly honour the recovery time.<br />
<br />
I have a clear sense of what that means to me in this moment: a little writing (done!) some rest in a cool, tidy room (I will gift myself that five minutes of tidying) and a nourishing juice or smoothie to build me up nutritionally. So a morning off work to dive into healing space- awaits!Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-21391663089679933942014-10-30T16:02:00.001-07:002014-10-30T16:02:30.639-07:00Gluten and Dairy Free PancakesSunday is pancake day in our house. Sitting around the big table for a lazy breakfast (or lunch sometimes, if we get especially lazy!), the children in their seats waiting with eager anticipation as each pancake is lifted from the frypan...the flour that inevitably gets spilt on the floor, the diplomacy required to negotiate whose turn it is to crack the egg...it is all a beloved tradition.<br />
<br />
When our family transitioned to a gluten free diet recently, I found a perfectly adequate, yummy gluten free pancake mix- out of a box. But you know what? The enjoyment of pancake mornings was a little stale. I wanted the spilt flour, the sneaky toddler fingers in the batter, the challenge (and frustration) of trying to move around three chairs pushed up against the bench...half the fun of pancake morning is in the communal cooking experience!<br />
<br />
Luckily, I experimented with making up a recipe for gluten free pancakes and they tasted awesome (may have a little something to do with the lemon juice and sprinkling of brown sugar on the top- but hey, a pancake is only as good as it's toppings!)<br />
<br />
Here's the recipe:<br />
<br />
1 cup buckwheat flour<br />
1 cup brown rice flour<br />
A quarter teaspoon or so of baking powder<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 cup of coconut cream<br />
Half a cup of dessicatted coconut<br />
Enough water to get the batter to a happy consistency<br />
<br />
Method:<br />
<br />
Mix all the dry ingrediants well. Add eggs and coconut cream and mix. Play around with adding some water until you feel the consistency is right (you can always add a little more flour, or water).<br />
<br />
Fry in a saucepan using coconut oil or ghee (if you do dairy).<br />
<br />
What's your great gluten free pancake recipe? What toppings do you lavish on your pancakes?Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-88523610003676681462014-10-30T15:42:00.000-07:002014-10-30T15:42:07.352-07:00Manifesting A New NestFor the past two and a half years, my family and I have been incredibly blessed to live in a rambling bush house at the base of Nungali, the sacred Gumbaingirr mountain. The house was, a couple of decades ago, part of Satyananda Yoga ashram, and is part of a group of earthy times homes sprinkled up the lower reaches of the mountain. My children and I played in the bamboo forest, by the creeks edge, ate fruit straight from the trees...it has been magic.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqR4AvUUGck5pIdTuNMQD9vDwsU-pWXVWmCTNnlsdfHz1_NyrUerVnQsNEt4X8UukAU93SHEAw1F-AGfEiRd8rsPOC7vc6p4L9xz4zNfkmBt0pjXTozBr12lPu5S6fvGlMQP02zPB52Y/s1600/house+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqR4AvUUGck5pIdTuNMQD9vDwsU-pWXVWmCTNnlsdfHz1_NyrUerVnQsNEt4X8UukAU93SHEAw1F-AGfEiRd8rsPOC7vc6p4L9xz4zNfkmBt0pjXTozBr12lPu5S6fvGlMQP02zPB52Y/s1600/house+one.jpg" height="180" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictures of our current nest<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMDSjld8PZcvalN2dJdYj9nDc4xQ1j4WqGEQxOUrIACElDdq6v6ve1SpkTu-Jy5yeUPWURc2koU3GFj5AtO4M6bqwRqlWyd3RiNCnkgloXMEYvdUifQTcA18uasPdZan2slSienvxUC4/s1600/house+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMDSjld8PZcvalN2dJdYj9nDc4xQ1j4WqGEQxOUrIACElDdq6v6ve1SpkTu-Jy5yeUPWURc2koU3GFj5AtO4M6bqwRqlWyd3RiNCnkgloXMEYvdUifQTcA18uasPdZan2slSienvxUC4/s1600/house+two.jpg" height="180" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqNYBHX0zz_Kz1xOcC4Te5gAlxFwydCJDPh3mvlKXLxqVTjfId8_5u9pXCE9EvMAfF5bAeUnb_Fz01sbB66nTzsWqI5gI6as0NjChS1vwOyZrw0CUqm1zhoN0gy1boYBIO6c0AjFHPeQ/s1600/house+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqNYBHX0zz_Kz1xOcC4Te5gAlxFwydCJDPh3mvlKXLxqVTjfId8_5u9pXCE9EvMAfF5bAeUnb_Fz01sbB66nTzsWqI5gI6as0NjChS1vwOyZrw0CUqm1zhoN0gy1boYBIO6c0AjFHPeQ/s1600/house+three.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_2114099793"></span><span id="goog_2114099794"></span><br />
But now it is time to move on. The landlord is ready to move back into the bosom of this beautiful house, and it's time for my nomadic family to pack up and find somewhere new. It's sad to go, but it's also exciting, to see where that deep, resonant and unmistakable call of the land takes us to. The land drawing us in- that is something I really believe in.<br />
<br />
On the new moon just past (it was also our oldest son's birthday, for a little extra magical potency), we gathered our children, some paper, pens, dreams and hopes and visioned what we wanted this time around. With consciousness and clarity, we spoke it out into this sacred land we live on. What manifests will be a perfect reflection of this, as filtered by what we all need now on our Earth Walk.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5msgj-Qnk4fhvQ140VLIlQ8r7TxwbDpPJKFCBZyQhZ5iIMH55RIG8YhapizGJ9TnV_BcZ3UTU7N8GSoFpiIe3uxhk5iPL02HQB5UlCOsSHY_aIFEzsj6n-6859LzfsGAjF-S_xT3a59E/s1600/house+four.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5msgj-Qnk4fhvQ140VLIlQ8r7TxwbDpPJKFCBZyQhZ5iIMH55RIG8YhapizGJ9TnV_BcZ3UTU7N8GSoFpiIe3uxhk5iPL02HQB5UlCOsSHY_aIFEzsj6n-6859LzfsGAjF-S_xT3a59E/s1600/house+four.jpg" height="180" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgg52QHlWMTpJZ19gAfnAmR1ALINFz3y9ubXEAoJ0twgweeI6Qh2RRkEpaewdM1e4HZZxOdbQetKp_lI2EqfxIRnin9luivuukVQUiTC9JWBqVGywChvvjuRA2ItGliliv6A1vpbN484/s1600/house+nine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgg52QHlWMTpJZ19gAfnAmR1ALINFz3y9ubXEAoJ0twgweeI6Qh2RRkEpaewdM1e4HZZxOdbQetKp_lI2EqfxIRnin9luivuukVQUiTC9JWBqVGywChvvjuRA2ItGliliv6A1vpbN484/s1600/house+nine.jpg" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjc8N7pbWAa2LtzV4EWGSB3DLT0V0QpMr0Er29qx6ZYxBYz3-r6yEo4bEF1H_IppeE_ZIS_ZG9SeGpulc64E9exY2cSTFN05Ge2drrSrlrQPYx1zrCoPwhHuREX_3E3UjHm8rNPXp06lg/s1600/house+seven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjc8N7pbWAa2LtzV4EWGSB3DLT0V0QpMr0Er29qx6ZYxBYz3-r6yEo4bEF1H_IppeE_ZIS_ZG9SeGpulc64E9exY2cSTFN05Ge2drrSrlrQPYx1zrCoPwhHuREX_3E3UjHm8rNPXp06lg/s1600/house+seven.jpg" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here's a little of what we called upon:<br />
<br />
on healing land/high vibrations<br />
cheap rent<br />
bedroom/s that connect us<br />
on a well functioning, beautiful and joyful MO or community<br />
a healthy house- no mould etc<br />
sanctuary space<br />
a bath<br />
tipi/yurt/belle tent<br />
stairs that go down into a room of my own (that was our oldest son)<br />
stairs that go down into a room of my own, with a high butterfly bed, and fairies (that was our daughter)<br />
oven and stove<br />
space for an outside/verandah bed<br />
outside bathroom and kitchen<br />
close to Chrysalis Steiner School<br />
close to a daycare or preschool option<br />
cool architecture<br />
easy maintenance<br />
cosy and efficient fireplace<br />
tin roof (for the rain sounds!)<br />
beautiful, heart expanding views<br />
space for my heart work (me)<br />
fireflies<br />
in the rainforest<br />
fig tree<br />
beautiful waterhole nearby<br />
as much off the grid as possible<br />
specifically, places- Martells Road, Freida Hicks Drive/Nungali, on the Never Never, Darkwood Road, Kalang Road, Roses Road or in town<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWC03jFiD4-VMlscvy0OK3C3Ut3_bootrc8NXv_zDveoExtRmj-lgxSAwCP58G6VdVmLOb2dgbQo2dmXJAEuIl0q_J1yqFyCSTgp6nYrCWW3chbsOzkTZYE6HMod8_IGGvDrR3H362iA/s1600/house+six.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWC03jFiD4-VMlscvy0OK3C3Ut3_bootrc8NXv_zDveoExtRmj-lgxSAwCP58G6VdVmLOb2dgbQo2dmXJAEuIl0q_J1yqFyCSTgp6nYrCWW3chbsOzkTZYE6HMod8_IGGvDrR3H362iA/s1600/house+six.jpg" height="180" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf47WwMpdsM4SLtcxALGE8NGhDmcAqbrGqVQA8H4RJNeUV_Zl19EJ1xnwdISN6ebOS6CauPhErJgp5u1MtNJ8ruxF3KjL2tfJ-yq9j5N8RlAskZyx4FyzdNvpamvHDw8TvMITuPPRF2a8/s1600/house+eight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf47WwMpdsM4SLtcxALGE8NGhDmcAqbrGqVQA8H4RJNeUV_Zl19EJ1xnwdISN6ebOS6CauPhErJgp5u1MtNJ8ruxF3KjL2tfJ-yq9j5N8RlAskZyx4FyzdNvpamvHDw8TvMITuPPRF2a8/s1600/house+eight.jpg" height="180" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Dropping deeper, I visioned what makes a home space a heart space<br />
love<br />
emotional transparency<br />
deep listening<br />
the holding of space<br />
gentle, conscious and creative parenting<br />
connection to the earth<br />
belonging<br />
holistic<br />
sustainable<br />
<br />
I look forward to writing about what manifests for us!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7018160685284346313" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdDkdKifiShl3PMMlsJx5IJ7z_HdoevQuNETW7Mn6vGb1q9Ws4T_qJStp4ymNVxCzt0JgPkIGD2hqI2B_ze9qROAmEAaDX6dakJxvyoxsCKaK6eNFLkOGvN-y7pdC489yXdtsS9yguBs/s1600/house+five.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdDkdKifiShl3PMMlsJx5IJ7z_HdoevQuNETW7Mn6vGb1q9Ws4T_qJStp4ymNVxCzt0JgPkIGD2hqI2B_ze9qROAmEAaDX6dakJxvyoxsCKaK6eNFLkOGvN-y7pdC489yXdtsS9yguBs/s1600/house+five.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xlxXNf85Q0LGm1Ff2NDhLDGQ4aGWMln2XcgYuUdO1z0gnynuZSab8O_5enf-trnWBaJtCTYBkTfl8l5VY8lF_KLfSrC-TfoHWwtLqbaW1W42vk6Lj9O3t-7YRHjnnBYwmriR7L_ZKGo/s1600/house+ten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xlxXNf85Q0LGm1Ff2NDhLDGQ4aGWMln2XcgYuUdO1z0gnynuZSab8O_5enf-trnWBaJtCTYBkTfl8l5VY8lF_KLfSrC-TfoHWwtLqbaW1W42vk6Lj9O3t-7YRHjnnBYwmriR7L_ZKGo/s1600/house+ten.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-17877331333171452402014-10-16T18:18:00.000-07:002014-10-16T18:18:47.531-07:00Today's Beauty Way Invitation: One Small Piece of GorgeousnessIn the <a href="http://www.sacredpregnancy.com/" target="_blank">Sacred Living Movement,</a> we talk often of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/the-beauty-way-of-birth.html" target="_blank">the Beauty Way of living.</a> Simply put, it's a way of being present to our lives, and how we can deeply nourish ourselves and those around us by consciously bringing beauty to our internal and external spaces.<br />
<br />
The Beauty Way is one of the greatest lessons, both for birth work, and for motherhood- and yes, for ALL of my crazy, full, gorgeous, blessed life- from working and learning through Sacred Pregnancy. It's something I come back to again and again.<br />
<br />
Today, it's time to offer a little challenge- no, an <i>invitation. </i>This is for you, if you already walk in the Beauty Way. It's also for you if you've never thought or heard of the Beauty Way before. It's especially for you if you consciously or unconsciously are repelled to the concept of beauty, because hell, it is a concept that has been so twisted by our mainstream culture (if this is you, try this: what is one item I could place in my space, or on my body, that would open my heart a little more? That's all. Be gentle. This is your work alone).<br />
<br />
So here is my invitation:<br />
<br />
What is ONE SMALL THING you can do, right now, in the busiest spot of your home, to bring in walking in the Beauty Way?<br />
<br />
Some ideas:<br />
<br />
*Lighting your favourite incense in the entry way\<br />
*Making your bed neatly and lovingly<br />
*Placing flowers in the kitchen<br />
<br />
Then, what is ONE SMALL THING you can do, right now, to nurture your own body in beauty?<br />
<br />
Some ideas:<br />
<br />
*Make a simple body scrub from raw sugar and coconut oil, and exfoliate your skin<br />
*Pick a flower and put it in your hair (a great activity to share with little ones!)<br />
*Stop and STREEETCH and find your favourite yoga position.<br />
<br />
Here's my little beauty way moment, inspired by a line in this awesome India.Arie song...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mq86e4Fhja0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
"Sometimes I shave my legs, and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I comb my hair, and sometimes I won't. Depending on the way the wind blows, I might even paint my toes..."<br />
<br />
Painting my toenails...and my, didn't they look sweet with my favourite shoes and my new wrap skirt...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6onZaP_1iTSaz9AYrkfpv69Y3yFrvUP5NM52N25oKGVNl0zJxE-LG9f5r1s29887LlxxUsdcEAlx9OGTikrdxVDb6v3RjqkapMwAagRYqh_L1zNkuE7gEXBHM9xGyUeQDkW5Mrqm239o/s1600/paint+my+toes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6onZaP_1iTSaz9AYrkfpv69Y3yFrvUP5NM52N25oKGVNl0zJxE-LG9f5r1s29887LlxxUsdcEAlx9OGTikrdxVDb6v3RjqkapMwAagRYqh_L1zNkuE7gEXBHM9xGyUeQDkW5Mrqm239o/s1600/paint+my+toes.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Okay...now go and do it! Get your Beauty Way on, and post a pic in the comments! Enjoy!</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-67991821806411125262014-10-16T17:15:00.000-07:002014-10-16T17:15:18.269-07:00An Invitation to Love<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><i>This post is dedicated to my partner Zai, and the love that endures between the two of us. May it deepen and expand through the years. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mqnnExm0OpAsr3wFJY3ZOhuty_SCrVDv2zFFoeyhhFMPIOFFq9kxMIOkqzeMycuiYKz8vY5Bm9VydzDOJXBWQhm1QtJb8GGc1t2YvCLPc_uEtYeyzajQvcitUgJlhmK-onlJZF5aGzc/s1600/love+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mqnnExm0OpAsr3wFJY3ZOhuty_SCrVDv2zFFoeyhhFMPIOFFq9kxMIOkqzeMycuiYKz8vY5Bm9VydzDOJXBWQhm1QtJb8GGc1t2YvCLPc_uEtYeyzajQvcitUgJlhmK-onlJZF5aGzc/s1600/love+one.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo found on Pinterest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Last month, my partner went travelling. He attended a wedding in England and then spent some lazy weeks pottering around Europe. He explored neolithic villages, saw the full moon rise at Stone Henge, and cycled through the back streets of Barcelona. </div>
<br />
And children and I- we stayed at home.<br />
<br />
It was an epic challenge for me, at least in my mind. It was up there with labour, which for me is one of the ultimate challenges and rites of passage a woman can go through.<br />
<br />
And I admit, it was the unravelling of me. Not when he was gone, but in the months leading up to the trip, knowing he was going, knowing he had made the choice to go, knowing that I would have to delve into new parts of myself to shift from the way we have mostly equally coparenting, at least from when our second child came into the world, to being absolutely, radically, self reliant, and accountable to these three precious beings. I cried, I screamed, I channeled my hurting bleeding heart. I doubted our relationship. Mostly I doubted myself.<br />
<br />
What did I need to do? Trust, surrender, love. That old mantra, gifted to me by my third son and his blazing arrival into our lives, the mantra that seems to apply to anything and everything in my life. It would be okay. There would be gifts.<br />
<br />
The greatest gift, it was revealed, was the stripping away. My partner and I rescinded our roles to each other as co-parents and as housemates. Wow, how encompassing those roles had become, without us seeing it! How much of our interactions- and, to be truthful, our frustrations and dynamics with each other- were wrapped up in parenting our children together, and sharing domesticity.<br />
<br />
Within hours of watching his plane fly off into the ether, I was struck down by two things: firstly, a deep sense of missing him, of his presence travelling further and further away, faster than the speed of sound. And secondly, from that great heart-spaced emptiness, what flowed in: the realisation that I LOVED him, so deeply, so strongly, so purely. When all else was taken away, what was left was love, and for some reason, I hadn't expected that.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0y6fxHHFLQzgtwGgX5k9r87ZVgtUv78spFBAOPcroqMahWe8BoQV2VtulZPpMnbJwLlbEpInZ-T-CP9HhxE-bOJreQTXFG4q7BpGsi8tOwQsh3m7QpIan3JdzvAy4DJjbIPR_FlSEVBA/s1600/love+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0y6fxHHFLQzgtwGgX5k9r87ZVgtUv78spFBAOPcroqMahWe8BoQV2VtulZPpMnbJwLlbEpInZ-T-CP9HhxE-bOJreQTXFG4q7BpGsi8tOwQsh3m7QpIan3JdzvAy4DJjbIPR_FlSEVBA/s1600/love+two.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo found on Pinterest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So the lesson, for me, in this experience that I fought against for so long:<br />
<br />
Open up to the raw places, the places that make you feel abandoned, empty and alone: what do you find there?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadbUvqv4NZgepw2wR39dZ480C31KOrNXDfA2_8XXQMhHqjEF2gyOfOtGE6hIpmUBIwiQBRnwtjQKIhnQwqvixyzZ53ZMdYB8mp5Qywf4xdTmDvkHLp4qan5PGHu4TnLGclH8yNIt7Zbk/s1600/love+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadbUvqv4NZgepw2wR39dZ480C31KOrNXDfA2_8XXQMhHqjEF2gyOfOtGE6hIpmUBIwiQBRnwtjQKIhnQwqvixyzZ53ZMdYB8mp5Qywf4xdTmDvkHLp4qan5PGHu4TnLGclH8yNIt7Zbk/s1600/love+three.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo found on Pinterest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
(It's a great lesson for love relationships, but I am thinking right now, it would be great for relationship with the self too).<br />
<br />
And I invite you, dear reader, to this: How can you open up to the raw places today? How can you create a place where you let go of expectations, of relationship dynamics, of feelings of security? What happens when you do?<br />
<br />
I actually want you to go and do this. What are you holding onto so tight, and what happens when you let go, for just a little while? What sparkling little lessons rush into that empty space? Share your story in the comments, if you feel to.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8x2BP5u4VG6PdaHmynbL8XJHldzKW-PaMvYziZ-zU0NiJPAsev64q71-wPzG4YzlUU-L6rMwgbJ8J09ua0gRhzUILCDr4p9S5DdpKlmkbFFaeQ71yCJdC1YJbjiyeULQe3ZkBc88LVM/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8x2BP5u4VG6PdaHmynbL8XJHldzKW-PaMvYziZ-zU0NiJPAsev64q71-wPzG4YzlUU-L6rMwgbJ8J09ua0gRhzUILCDr4p9S5DdpKlmkbFFaeQ71yCJdC1YJbjiyeULQe3ZkBc88LVM/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" height="200" width="195" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Plantagenet Cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Plantagenet Cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Plantagenet Cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><i>© Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2014</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and the publisher of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sacred Whisper Bellingen</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
Ph: <span class="skype_c2c_container" dir="ltr" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">0418 950 793</span></span></span></span></div>
Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-27434153463938925602014-10-16T16:04:00.001-07:002014-10-16T16:04:45.358-07:00The Evolution Of Food...on a family levelYes, things have been very quiet here at Sacred Whisper Bellingen for a few weeks.<br />
<br />
My partner, Zai, was given the opportunity to travel around Europe for a month (and had some amazing experiences). My life during this time became very focused: the wellbeing of myself and my children, our sweet little rhythm, and very little else.<br />
<br />
This simple and unhindered presence to my family and it's intimate inner workings shone a light on a few areas that just clearly weren't working as well as they could. Little lost opportunities for meeting people's needs better, more sustainably, and the wise little life lessons that are inherently part of living a conscious lifestyle.<br />
<br />
The biggest evolution for us here- the natural process of something clearly being unworkable, experimenting with solutions, and integrating a new way of being into our lives together- was the way we do <i>food. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEP2u-QYWEeWWuMTdCiITPqNMgVbUnOTBONaM-PM_s-n46LVwUGDKO2fELVTkqy_tXJfJPVzFXuT75XmSFxiGvkri1rklk-4Tq-ca4wBamVJKeSIzbBbDyHdLSB_6Mu_3f1yXZaLbhZPI/s1600/soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEP2u-QYWEeWWuMTdCiITPqNMgVbUnOTBONaM-PM_s-n46LVwUGDKO2fELVTkqy_tXJfJPVzFXuT75XmSFxiGvkri1rklk-4Tq-ca4wBamVJKeSIzbBbDyHdLSB_6Mu_3f1yXZaLbhZPI/s1600/soup.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo sourced from Pinterest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
Food is big in our family. Zai's passion is food and cooking and the divine alchemy he undertakes from raw ingrediants, coming up with something far greater than the sum of the parts (psst...the secret ingrediant is love. And probably cumin seeds). And having three growing children...yes, food is a big part of our day.<br />
<br />
In our family we had been following a standard traditional food rhythm for a long time. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and a focal point of dinner at the end of the day. Some of us are vegetarian, and some of us eat meat.<br />
<br />
But some problems were definately showing up. The kids would be requesting their next meal (read: I'm huuuuungry, in that voice only children can use). I would prepare the next meal and one of two things would happen:<br />
<br />
1. Two bites would be taken, and they would be full.<br />
<br />
2. "I DON'T LIKE THIS!!" (Also in that voice- and pitch- only children can create. Optional: a thrown fork/spoon/tantrum)<br />
<br />
Occasionally, there was also 3. They ate it happily (mostly if involves rice, tamari and sunflower seeds, every child's favourite meal in my house.)<br />
<br />
So, I was finding I was dealing with a lot of wasted food. One benefit: our chooks were extremely well fed and happy. But I wasn't happy. On a deep level, it doesn't feel right to be wasting food. And it's not just the food, it's the time and effort that goes into preparing it- and I'm sure you can relate to those days that I felt I was simply preparing food, serving it, and cleaning up after it all day.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxTneQs5OPwcKEjGIVETbk6f0Cl0NiHsRKG8dcL0YuLEHIjcMdHCTsHEXpc_cyuWghRgctpVM-yZ20WXISL1haseMCwotUVmAAZTZ9xjunPlT8zxAKD_XBfOzBwwEprZVBiuJH49O-1Q/s1600/rice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxTneQs5OPwcKEjGIVETbk6f0Cl0NiHsRKG8dcL0YuLEHIjcMdHCTsHEXpc_cyuWghRgctpVM-yZ20WXISL1haseMCwotUVmAAZTZ9xjunPlT8zxAKD_XBfOzBwwEprZVBiuJH49O-1Q/s1600/rice.jpg" height="320" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo sourced from Pinterest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
There was another dynamic going on here. My children, bless them, are beautifully independant creatures. Even the youngest of them knows how to push the chair up against the bench to climb up and get a piece of fruit from the fruit bowl. I would often find them making honey sandwiches or preparing themselves some snack I probably wouldn't condone.<br />
<br />
I love their independance. I do. But the same thing was happening with snacking- they would eat half or a third of the apple, and be done. Or they would make themselves enough sandwiches, that their appetite for the next meal (which would be more nutritionally sound, mind you!) would be broken.<br />
<br />
So I had to tighten things up. I had to create an environment where we were all more conscious of the blessings that we have in having abundant food, and be responsible with that abundance.<br />
<br />
Firstly, we put an end to snacking. This was especially difficult for my middle child, for whom food and independance and choices and all that has such great ramifications for her little being. But we did it, explaining clearly that we weren't snacking, and after a while, she was a lot less anxious. She wasn't constantly asking for food, because she had the security of knowing a meal would be coming up sometime in the near future. She was releived of the need to ask and ask and ask. It would be provided anyway- when it was time.<br />
<br />
The second thing, was making our "big meal" of the day at lunchtime, rather than dinner time. We all had more energy then- me, for preparing a meal, and the kids, to either help, or to play whilst I made it. I found myself appreciating the flavours, textures and nutrition of the good food I offered, simply because I had time-- I still had so much of the day ahead of me, instead of thinking of housework and bedtime routines and getting everyone through the meal so we could get on with all the jobs. It also gave us precious time to sit and connect and slow our rhythm down- being at home at lunchtime meant we couldn't spend all day out of the house, just morning, afternoon or neither.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTDoeW7EF8l6WjwOMY6fKt_j8wX2iYzcrBRbBB_PStllRZ3WIHI5VOp2c5MqbXf4U3kfigFatUE8b8DMRo0-pDli8pV4vmrKYmvr4yHKQIvd6nOUyg0YIUdiOGE4kFhkkStqGVnNENoA/s1600/yummmm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTDoeW7EF8l6WjwOMY6fKt_j8wX2iYzcrBRbBB_PStllRZ3WIHI5VOp2c5MqbXf4U3kfigFatUE8b8DMRo0-pDli8pV4vmrKYmvr4yHKQIvd6nOUyg0YIUdiOGE4kFhkkStqGVnNENoA/s1600/yummmm.jpg" height="320" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo sourced from Pinterest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The third thing we did- which I did, and which really shifted things for us- was to collect up all of the leftover food from the day, put it in the fridge, and serve it up, buffet style for dinner at the end of the day. It sounds odd, but it was so easy, the kids didn't complain (after the first day or two), meant dinner time was simple and the food wastage problem was solved.<br />
<br />
We kept our little meal time rituals, for continuity. We light a little candle at each meal, and someone gets to blow it out and make a wish. Sometimes we sing a blessing over the food, and sometimes we share the best parts of our day. It's a special time.<br />
<br />
We are embarking on a new food adventure with our family now- gluten free. That's a whole other post...<br />
<br />
So how do you do food in your family? How do you deal with food wastage, snacking, what are your little rituals? Please share in the comments below.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgfa_T0ssx1I_izPYOCkJSa1UFMOnIIDv8ttyIGd2I6wvj0JTnM5ksXded51qPheeayQhb3JB9XKi8V3gDjd_J2iamMUZ47YpIOYojsi0MVVYtVXJbi8cAoCek90X40zyoXqVKA_1vWw/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgfa_T0ssx1I_izPYOCkJSa1UFMOnIIDv8ttyIGd2I6wvj0JTnM5ksXded51qPheeayQhb3JB9XKi8V3gDjd_J2iamMUZ47YpIOYojsi0MVVYtVXJbi8cAoCek90X40zyoXqVKA_1vWw/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" height="200" width="195" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Plantagenet Cherokee', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"><i>© Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2014</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and the publisher of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/" style="color: #6e2b16; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Sacred Whisper Bellingen</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Imprima, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
Ph: <span class="skype_c2c_container" dir="ltr" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">0418 950 793</span><span class="skype_c2c_free_text_span"></span></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="skype_c2c_container" dir="ltr" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span"><span class="skype_c2c_text_span"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-16424350987011187582014-08-17T02:39:00.000-07:002014-08-17T02:39:39.275-07:00Silence and the Art of Holding Space<br />
Silence is profound, and paradoxically, one of the most fundamental and effective components of listening.<br />
<br />
When I speak of listening, I do not mean the unconcious listening that pervades much of the day- simply tuning in (or tuning out) to auditory stimulation. Instead, I mean the deep stepping in and heart opening that occurs when one sits as witness and container for another's expression.<br />
<br />
Listening, in the true meaning of the word, is<br />
<br />
Respectful<br />
Without judgement<br />
Compassionate<br />
Facilitates the speaker to move onto the next stage of the process<br />
An encounter with both self, and other; as well as that beyond the individual<br />
<br />
To be silent, however, is such a key component. Not just silent of word, but silent of the mental chatter that clogs up our communication channels and seperates us right at the moment we intend to connect. Silence shifts us from mind space to heart space, and to body space, and the profound knowledge that lies there.<br />
<br />
SIlence allows the speaker to follow their thread of consciousness where it is longing to go, and then gently, or abruptly, falls into an abyss.<br />
<br />
That abyss is interesting. Apparently, it takes eighteen seconds from the start of silence, to come to a deeper awareness of what is going on underneath what has already been spoken. Eighteen seconds to gain an insight, eighteen seconds to become aware of a new facet of the issue, eighteen seconds to drop down.<br />
<br />
How often do we give ourselves, or others, eighteen seconds?<br />
<br />
This eighteen seconds has implications in so many areas. The lovers that find space to truly hear each other and break down the build up of patterning and habit; the parent that holds space for the child to voice some deep fears or let go of some cathartic tears. I can see immense implications for my work in counselling, and in birth work, especially in the very special time I spend with clients pre and post natally. It's such a charged, frenetic and emotional time; that conscious silence, well, it makes all the difference.<br />
<br />
Let silence do the heavy lifting in your life, today. What does it manifest?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
These reflections were inspired by the first day of Robyn Sheldon's doula workshop here in Bellingen. To know more about Robyn's work, have a look <a href="http://mamabamba.com/wp/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-86895227488802243352014-08-14T23:12:00.000-07:002014-08-14T23:15:34.328-07:00Sweet Dreams, My ChildrenThere's a point in my day that always brings me to my heart: peace, softness and an expansive love that rejuvenates and replenishes, no matter how the family dynamics may have scuttled me earlier. It's the time, when I am sitting with my children as they fall sleep, a baby on each side, and my big boy up in his bunk bed beside us. I might hear a gentle snoring, or a child chatting softly to herself, I might see the dreamy gaze of those tired eyes, or feel the snuggliness of a little one finding just that right position under the covers.<br />
<br />
Rhythm is a vibrant thread in our family tapestry, and given the above, one of the parts of family rhythm I find most nourishing is the bedtime rhythm. I'll share our bedtime here with you.<br />
<br />
We start with a verse for moving to the bedroom together. There is a little candle glowing, and the lights are dimmed. The pyjamas are in the bedtime bags hung from the end of the bed and promptly put on, the beds are made, and hot water bottles await little bodies to warm. Who does all this, without the children realising it? Little fairies of course (or, perhaps Mama does it whilst the children were playing!).<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Good Fairy, take me by the hand</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>And guide me to the Promised Land</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Stars sing to me, while I'm asleep</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Your gentle watch, forever keep,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>So I may wake through all my days, </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>I will follow Spirit's ways. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
After the children and I are in our pyjamas, there is some turn taking: a breastfeed for each of the babies, and a nice long cuddle with my big boy. We do this one at a time, so I can get some precious one on one time in. Whilst this is happening, the child who was 'Special Helper' that day chooses our bedtime story, and there is also usually some running and falling onto beds- until Mama reminds those cheeky little children that it is quiet time now!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We all snuggle up in one bed and read the chosen story, and at the moment, a page from a longer book. Then I sing: </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Who is ready for their rainbow?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Each of my children have a rainbow bunny rug from when they were little babies. I tuck them into bed, and lay the rainbow over the top of them one by one, singing:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Go to sleep now, precious (child's name)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Night is falling blue and deep</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Stars are bright, and angels carry</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Down from heaven, holy sleep</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Slumber sweetly, dearest (child's name)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Night has come so blue and deep</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Weaving dreams of silver starlight</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Angels guide thy holy sleep</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
(Both these songs came from a little book of bedtime verses from my local Steiner playgroup, although I altered the first one a little to suit our spiritual needs. )</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Some nights, but not often, my middle child will stay in her bed (and also giggling, ask for me to sing the lullaby to whatever toy she has chosen the special honour of sleeping with her that night!) Mostly, though, she will sneak into my bed whilst I sing to my littlest, so I have those two precious little ones on either side of me, or on my lap, or snuggled in my arms. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Once they are all settled, I sing the Gayatri Mantra three times, their signal and invitation to deep, sweet slumbers. And then I sit there, in my mama bliss, soaking up the energy and presence of my children, without the demands, the dynamics and the "doing" that can distract us all from who they really are. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i> </i></div>
<br />
<i> </i> <br />
<br />
<br />Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-71653750029397208222014-08-14T22:37:00.001-07:002014-08-14T22:39:09.228-07:00Dear Solitude- Hernani Wilderness Hut<i>Dear Solitude, </i><br />
<br />
<i>About seven years ago, I broke up with you. It wasn't a clean break, and I admit that the little stolen rendezvous we have from time to time fill me with both bliss, and a yearning to have more of you. Yesterday we had an affair to remember, thirty one hours with you and only you. Breaking up was the wrong idea, and though I know our relationship can never be the same, I want you in my life- somehow- again.</i><br />
<br />
<i> Love, Sammi.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpLv4BjzYNJpWrdSH__X3vzTZxC8iXiq12wuKYmQwz_CdVAtEEIwv_q0VJg72csueAs2VEqdCWh8ZK9DeXYQ5mGH1cFoheisY0Em7ss0KXugRCo4zbJXEt8JK0Wlg3I8MIPG5KC-Qq1M/s1600/hern+seven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpLv4BjzYNJpWrdSH__X3vzTZxC8iXiq12wuKYmQwz_CdVAtEEIwv_q0VJg72csueAs2VEqdCWh8ZK9DeXYQ5mGH1cFoheisY0Em7ss0KXugRCo4zbJXEt8JK0Wlg3I8MIPG5KC-Qq1M/s1600/hern+seven.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hernani Wilderness Hut in twilight majesty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It's been a very long time since I have been able to indulge my need for solitude. The emptiness of being, I encounter myself there, and I find I like the person I meet. Solitude- and nature time- is how I rejuvenate, it's how I give the power back to the wiser self within me. And it's been too long since I gifted myself this, in my mothering.<br />
<br />
I have been yelling, screaming, impatient, intolerant, unsettled, run down. Not mothering from the space I yearn to. I had to get out, refresh and rest.<br />
<br />
I booked a night at the <a href="http://www.stayz.com.au/accommodation/nsw/new-england/hernani/136845?gclid=CKuh2bzFlMACFdd5vQodlE0A7A" target="_blank">Hernani Wilderness hut</a>, about an hour from Bellingen. It's located right on the <a href="http://www.bicentennialnationaltrail.com.au/" target="_blank">Bicentennial Trail</a>, near <a href="http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/guy-fawkes-river-national-park" target="_blank">Guy Fawkes National Park</a> and <a href="http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/new-england-national-park" target="_blank">New England National Park</a>. It is off the grid, a rustic, homely little nest that suited my purposes perfectly. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF311Nvv5X7sU9o3MkEm9Ta7whLZGd74bEBSjWuGR_sFNjvxVjMM2jxBYI2rsW3TtZbLkDqP8CP5AN0a-VwlpIa7HcY_ewS5v9GOzZYQxdoCPtrOPU_X9VBhyphenhyphenhMQPEFs0YzQvSY5nsBFE/s1600/hern+eleven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF311Nvv5X7sU9o3MkEm9Ta7whLZGd74bEBSjWuGR_sFNjvxVjMM2jxBYI2rsW3TtZbLkDqP8CP5AN0a-VwlpIa7HcY_ewS5v9GOzZYQxdoCPtrOPU_X9VBhyphenhyphenhMQPEFs0YzQvSY5nsBFE/s1600/hern+eleven.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCM3dN1oJd4nqwwUv1mGzp8N6HIYwhf5rSnKraLKXMB5OB2KAbvmIwKEuhgN0nzuTj5508ksMVQVvRgEPWYugkCcs7M-MCcByij4ugr0H_5x5jopQZwo9cfvo-9NVvogeHIgy-t1ZEBA/s1600/hern+eight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCM3dN1oJd4nqwwUv1mGzp8N6HIYwhf5rSnKraLKXMB5OB2KAbvmIwKEuhgN0nzuTj5508ksMVQVvRgEPWYugkCcs7M-MCcByij4ugr0H_5x5jopQZwo9cfvo-9NVvogeHIgy-t1ZEBA/s1600/hern+eight.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmXYD6rKqXzZYOjjWxg8Mq19bW63rF1qO8755Ho8b-qy9FJ-hMJ_FXMJPugG-LTPMu_UGe57XT0wDmKc7ZeTZjvJWUB0Uj36J7-_kyHErmQcjNJIc6x1CIC5Na84z4CsWPNcd0BCG164/s1600/hern+nine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmXYD6rKqXzZYOjjWxg8Mq19bW63rF1qO8755Ho8b-qy9FJ-hMJ_FXMJPugG-LTPMu_UGe57XT0wDmKc7ZeTZjvJWUB0Uj36J7-_kyHErmQcjNJIc6x1CIC5Na84z4CsWPNcd0BCG164/s1600/hern+nine.jpg" height="180" width="320" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The hut sleeps nine, but I was alone, and oh! That was bliss. I went with self-given permission to sleep for the entire time if I needed to. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But when I arrived, when I took the time to walk the space, create my little nest for the night, and imbue it with a little of my own energy, it was clear to me that sleeping wasn't the biggest priority. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Instead, I collected firewood, I did jigsaw puzzles (another thing I haven't done since having children, for fairly obvious reasons), I read (and read and read, with no interruptions), and I explored. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As afternoon passed into night I went for a long walk along the bicentennial trail, and felt myself dropping into not the acute recuperation state that I had expected, but a deep, soulful healing place. As the almost-full moon rose, I walked that trail, followed by two young cows, my familiars for the journey. At one point I looked up, and saw three statuesque red kangaroos standing at the top of the hill, watching me. They were ancient sentinels. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I made an earth mandala, I sat inside a burnt out tree, I sang down the sun. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV2MiQnOGCASrdxnQQRr-23G8C6S1Q5wYnQojMc6jWVyz_txIOBhnIqJKx74B99BK-sD57_uldvBPLEJFw51g4uQB1QY9LrsT2sR8LtgAjh9H7DxplKFUtLl776oQRm5t1afptXJpp9w/s1600/hern+five.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV2MiQnOGCASrdxnQQRr-23G8C6S1Q5wYnQojMc6jWVyz_txIOBhnIqJKx74B99BK-sD57_uldvBPLEJFw51g4uQB1QY9LrsT2sR8LtgAjh9H7DxplKFUtLl776oQRm5t1afptXJpp9w/s1600/hern+five.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLgRH3o5iKuAAeLIm_aViQFTN_t90qn_ttLwylnB3pqYKNTsFlDpcoNcDofauXB21zp0hyphenhyphen5WFVF1Qy6WD7UXE_zXVcEWCv830VqkVI3qnGDvV852n56zRzX7EvrF8UUaIJU0n-zeqQO8/s1600/hern+four.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLgRH3o5iKuAAeLIm_aViQFTN_t90qn_ttLwylnB3pqYKNTsFlDpcoNcDofauXB21zp0hyphenhyphen5WFVF1Qy6WD7UXE_zXVcEWCv830VqkVI3qnGDvV852n56zRzX7EvrF8UUaIJU0n-zeqQO8/s1600/hern+four.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8u0LZ8dIHAx9pAoXQ0h8XImbgTDJoW87lb8eXdTDrEO9lXS3Klju__s2etJ_RrqQjeLAvWrTsNFOD8VpA1p4iCllJNaA5vZhZFvaA-uk_HfXCT_BRTwr4UcqqhuTcLaWp5grvnEGeus/s1600/hern+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8u0LZ8dIHAx9pAoXQ0h8XImbgTDJoW87lb8eXdTDrEO9lXS3Klju__s2etJ_RrqQjeLAvWrTsNFOD8VpA1p4iCllJNaA5vZhZFvaA-uk_HfXCT_BRTwr4UcqqhuTcLaWp5grvnEGeus/s1600/hern+three.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnLybQpKfQgGwDJI2hmtkWKpizDrvP1abgVywK9cR1gszLaxTFg7VeZjhdROv5PjQNI1LI8qxfrTBttowPepjarIBhjHW7ZhPNv0ylmOLmpV5ldXE-yQo4XStqjtfU3RgPptVwzPg7QU/s1600/hern+six.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnLybQpKfQgGwDJI2hmtkWKpizDrvP1abgVywK9cR1gszLaxTFg7VeZjhdROv5PjQNI1LI8qxfrTBttowPepjarIBhjHW7ZhPNv0ylmOLmpV5ldXE-yQo4XStqjtfU3RgPptVwzPg7QU/s1600/hern+six.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I returned, as the sun sank deep into the earth, to the hut. I lit the fire and sat for hours by it, eating simple food and reading. And then, has the most amazing, blissful, regenerative sleep! Oh, how I long for this solitude again. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZek0k9n5T90S4GvtKBCSq9ODwovtzo-e_eixdeTnI5NiJ5XSLCn0_zrdJbMEu2nrItRATB6g9HEnFa8aamRWwiUCIZJlqTkrWIqQ8ZAqNgCUbLtQgPPjQSPMPscp6uwaOuU-7ZzvqNJk/s1600/hern+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZek0k9n5T90S4GvtKBCSq9ODwovtzo-e_eixdeTnI5NiJ5XSLCn0_zrdJbMEu2nrItRATB6g9HEnFa8aamRWwiUCIZJlqTkrWIqQ8ZAqNgCUbLtQgPPjQSPMPscp6uwaOuU-7ZzvqNJk/s1600/hern+one.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGq2vDgz5AG2c73MQpRnubyTGxOdGByUtIBywl4AsRkRYLWz5llvOivSUzZc0DlUzJub-cnXl6kp9dpKSVSK8zqFglFoue1cZJ2jvEQhyRfZX7uDAKvMhXdoUGgvvT1Ot3Kupnw8Z7Drw/s1600/hern+ten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGq2vDgz5AG2c73MQpRnubyTGxOdGByUtIBywl4AsRkRYLWz5llvOivSUzZc0DlUzJub-cnXl6kp9dpKSVSK8zqFglFoue1cZJ2jvEQhyRfZX7uDAKvMhXdoUGgvvT1Ot3Kupnw8Z7Drw/s1600/hern+ten.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWM76NCCoKSm3yp2Y34Xa-V3Z7Nh2-Wkmx6_jCqUy1CwCvJK_ONA3zahl1myym5sC7w_WsMuBu8_6bv2gm9bf4i8-o3_wQ151Shisx3m7OdprBQLcFIO9TeVAsGuFhqlbyXn5x2WCPco/s1600/hern+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWM76NCCoKSm3yp2Y34Xa-V3Z7Nh2-Wkmx6_jCqUy1CwCvJK_ONA3zahl1myym5sC7w_WsMuBu8_6bv2gm9bf4i8-o3_wQ151Shisx3m7OdprBQLcFIO9TeVAsGuFhqlbyXn5x2WCPco/s1600/hern+two.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-31505371317756863042014-08-05T17:10:00.001-07:002014-08-05T17:11:42.627-07:00Birth Doula Training Workshop- Mama Bamba <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0zRY6I538Ed-uWwJxRU6wuuSwwFiArd_xn1f0KTCsjenTBLvxv2c8Pb9R0hHI9dPC7I1RtZHaMITKZm0qjUZUct-CWYO3uCzIMYdkKkLFRWCn_lnB9xbS02RbFY7Dop-6_zHKHhOU0w/s1600/doula+training+mama+bamba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0zRY6I538Ed-uWwJxRU6wuuSwwFiArd_xn1f0KTCsjenTBLvxv2c8Pb9R0hHI9dPC7I1RtZHaMITKZm0qjUZUct-CWYO3uCzIMYdkKkLFRWCn_lnB9xbS02RbFY7Dop-6_zHKHhOU0w/s1600/doula+training+mama+bamba.jpg" height="640" width="494" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The flyer says it all really!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have felt very called to be a part of this workshop, and things have fallen into place for me to attend. The women who have already committed to attend are an amazing bunch of women, and this will be a very special circle. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you do attend, can you please let Robyn now I sent you! </div>
<br />Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-52955907206627379012014-07-20T16:52:00.003-07:002014-07-20T16:52:44.581-07:00With My Body I Speak the Truth of Birth: Jaiya's Birth Story<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-AU</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>My little girl- my middle child, recently turned three. To honour that, here is her birth story, the first of many to come on Sacred Whisper Bellingen. </i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-3_gPIkeQUs9Pg92B3bIYU45L2JxColTF-vth3rD3GF-gXo6zeAaaPlVrxU-l3l-wEms-1Re1FtTjIG98ggC7_PRACk_UP4yLobhSj11EtseQlwS3YhX8dK4pBvghhENkBEdXXXjFok/s1600/Jaiya+is+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-3_gPIkeQUs9Pg92B3bIYU45L2JxColTF-vth3rD3GF-gXo6zeAaaPlVrxU-l3l-wEms-1Re1FtTjIG98ggC7_PRACk_UP4yLobhSj11EtseQlwS3YhX8dK4pBvghhENkBEdXXXjFok/s1600/Jaiya+is+three.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif";"><i>On Jaiya's birthday, we took her to feed and connect with a friend's horse, at her request. She also went canoeing, ate cake, and discovered the fine art of using a walkie talkie. </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i> </i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Was it all for this? To travel through four
years of healing from Bodhi’s birth, delving into my soul to nurture those
broken parts of me; ten months of wonderfully delicious pregnancy, setting
intentions, connecting with my baby and nourishing both of us on; and many
blissful hours of early labour - just to come back to this dark place? Surely
it cannot be.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is late in the afternoon, and I am labouring
hard. My pulse beats robustly with the strength and intensity of this pain,
this task. I find myself no longer saying I can, embracing and being present
with each expansion, using my voice to ride with the sensations of birthing. I
lose myself. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am pleading now, please take me to hospital,
please give me pain relief. I cannot bear the physicality of this experience
anymore, and this is now reflected in my mental and emotional being. I feel
desperate, empty. I feel like no one in the room is truly hearing how bad this
is for me. I believe deeply that I cannot do this, and that no one else shares
this belief is the ultimate loneliness for me. That aloneness, these travails,
brings me straight back to Bodhi’s birth. Transcendent trauma. History
repeating. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Most of all, I
feel a sense of betraying myself for harbouring these feelings within me. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Before this, in
the deepest hours of night’s darkness. Two nights ago, I labour overnight,
after many days of surrendering to the ebb and flow of a body and heart
approaching labour. I realise the truth that this ebb and flow- the
contractions that would come and go, the mental readiness I felt, or not- was a
mechanism that would ensure that once I truly did enter labour, I would be
undoubtedly ready and would embrace it with all of my being. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That first night
of labour is bliss. On a physical level, I could actually feel the opening of
my womb with each expansion. It was not a painful feeling at all, but a
pleasurable one, and even in those early hours, as it became clear that yes,
this was labour, I felt the peak and rhythm of each one, like a wave. A few
seconds before each one, I would feel a tingling, like excitement, and energy
spiralling into me. I felt alive in every cell and totally inward. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zcbsxcXhcaFAt4c8NWZoVlf5aaTizSuGpjMuFaLfxoa2mdNCCMW1KZkYDDf19aBisFSrqZ8borblttn7C5S1vTLYEnQhWmrP4q8720rtSTBMa_zzRi2YNn1xPetRytl6nrQn0u5ZqM0/s1600/Belly+Ya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zcbsxcXhcaFAt4c8NWZoVlf5aaTizSuGpjMuFaLfxoa2mdNCCMW1KZkYDDf19aBisFSrqZ8borblttn7C5S1vTLYEnQhWmrP4q8720rtSTBMa_zzRi2YNn1xPetRytl6nrQn0u5ZqM0/s1600/Belly+Ya.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sacred life within. Pregnant with Jaiya, body painting whilst flooded in a couple of weeks before she was born. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With each
expansion, my mantra was this:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am opening in sweet
surrender</span></i><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To the beautiful baby inside
my womb</span></i><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am opening in sweet
surrender </span></i><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To the beautiful baby inside
my womb</span></i><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am opening </span></i><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am opening</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am opening</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am opening</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bodhi wakes and
lies with me, I hold him as I labour. Zai lights the fire, it feels to me like
he is standing guard. Then we all sleep again. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The contractions
stop at dawn and return two nights later. Again, bliss. I do reiki on baby and
me, speak softly to reassure her in the midst of the fear I sense she holds. I
see her clearly in these dark hours, a vital and lovely newborn girl, red and
healthy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Feeling completely
whole in my energy system, and that of my little baby, we journey on. With
every expansion I felt the energy of the universe spiralling into me, and then
dispersing back out. It was ecstatic, expansive, open. Incredible. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have created the
perfect birthing nest- dark, private, warm and quiet. By candle and firelight,
in my bed bedecked in muslin curtains, as my family sleeps and the wind howls
outside, I labour. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This birthing
continuum- the sacred cycle from calling this baby into my womb, through
conscious conception, a pregnancy filled with yoga and art and stillness and
love, and into the bliss and tribulation of labour and further through into the
baby’s emergence into the world- has brought me into alignment with the pure
woman who lies inside. The archetypal woman in all of us, Great Mother,
Ever-loving partner, Creative consciousness and being. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Part of this
initiation lies within Bodhi’s birth, and perhaps more importantly, choosing to
do everything to heal those wounds rather than allowing them to remain stagnant
and hurt me more. Part of the initiation comes from moving to Bellingen, and
the energies of transformation and growth that both this land, and the
community I find myself within, moves within me. Some of it comes from my work
with women, and the psyche. But all of this is just the path- the initiation
truly springs from the seed inside all of us, the feminine energies who yearn
to grow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As the sun rises,
again my contractions leave. We journey down to the farmer’s markets. I feel
Birth still dwelling beside me, and before long I am rolling with the waves of
blissful expansions again. This is transcendent. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I start to feel an
altered sense of reality. Like I am much, much taller, and feeling dizzy. I see
people in the crowd. All these people from the community that I am so connected
to, this beautiful community, this sacred land, the band playing a song about
the pureness of a beautiful day. For a little while I dance. I am at the centre
of it all. And at the centre of me, my baby. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The expansions are
coming swiftly now, so we retreat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Later, the
sensations now painful. I sit in our hammock, rocking gently with each
expansion. I chant a few long oms with each surge and stare out over the valley
and the ridge; the beautiful verdant green landscape that grounds me and
reminds me of the web of life I am part of. At the end of each expansion, I
whisper <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Om Jaiya.</i> In between, I
listen to the sound of Zai chopping wood such an earthy, homey sound that
reassures me of the natural process I am in, and fills me with love and
gratitude for my ever-loving man.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Later again,
retreating from the expansiveness of the veranda to the shower. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In my dozy, trance
state, I notice two daddy long legs spiders climbing up the shower wall, trying
to avoid the stream of water. I feel a connection to these spiders, and an
incredible compassion for them. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I also remember a
conversation that I had with my doula some weeks ago- that birth is a verb- the
“giving” part of giving birth is the most important way to help birth flow
easily. If we as women can be focused on what we are giving to our baby- the immense
act of love, and allowing ourselves to go through such a challenging, painful
event- as well as keeping the love flowing from us to our partners, children
and others in the birth space- we will be less engaged with the physical pain,
and come from a frame of mind more apt to deal with it well. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So those spiders
mean a lot. At this moment, that’s where my love flows. One by one, I let them
crawl onto my hand, and place them safely on the window sill, where they can
continue their creation of intricate webs and whatever else it is that spiders
spend their time on in peace. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Later again,
surrendering to the intensity and immersing myself in the relief of the warm
birth pool. As the intensity begins to bear down on me again, I look up at the
ceiling of the yurt. On one panel, in the knots and natural patterning in the
timber, I see a goddess in woman form, with two circles of light at each hand-
her children. I am that goddess woman, mama of two children, one being born as
I watched. That goddess looks over me all afternoon- it was now well past
midday- and I fix my gaze on her many times as the afternoon ages. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am aware of Zai,
Bodhi, my doula and midwife moving around me, but I begin to feel further and
further away from them. And I feel myself begin to disintegrate, an urge to
scream and complain about the pain, a rebelling against the process.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Was it all to come
to this? All my preparation, my healing, my intentions are lead to this, and
still this outcome, this trauma. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I cannot accept
this. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Is this the
surrender and letting go I never truly could conceptualise before this moment?
The course is set now, there is nothing I can do but endure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But there is
something. I can bring myself back into strength, mentally. I know when I look
back on this birth, this is the moment I will most regret or celebrate- that
point in time where I could lose myself forever in the trauma, or whilst
acknowledging it’s message about the strength of my labour- the very strength
that comes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">from</i> me- is equalled and
countered by the strength of who I am at my deepest core. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So I start in a
small way. On finding myself shaking my head with the onset of the pain, I
instead nod. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I say yes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I smile. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I stop myself from
complaining verbally, and instead harness that energy back into my toning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I connect with my
baby, rub my belly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And things begin
to shift. The greater part of me, the wise woman, the ancient, rises above the
part of me that is already done in and cannot go further. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And in the stage
of bringing my baby down, I witness an amazing transformation in my body. The
urge- the full engagement of my body into pushing moves so powerfully through
me that I have no fear when it takes a little longer than expected for her to
crown. Still great pain, and tiredness, and a rushing pulse, and perhaps most
acutely discomfort from kneeling on the soft bottom of the birth pool for so
long.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I can feel my baby
now, when I reach a finger up, she is right there. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Right there,</i> just an inch or two from my vulva. My baby, so close. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And then, the
feeling of the stretch of the vulva and perineum. Not as intense as I would
have thought. I can feel the expansion, but the pain is lost in feelings of
love and anticipation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The head emerges
halfway but retreats back in again. Zai holds my hands. The head emerges again
and remains out. My midwife says the baby will now turn and the shoulders will
come out one at a time. I feel the surge approaching. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This was it- the
moment of truth. Shoulder dystocia, all my fears around having a big baby- all
of this was about to either happen or not. The moment of truth, in experiencing
and exploring this fear and the meanings of it, the most significant moment of
my pregnancy and perhaps my life. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I summon all my
strength and open to birth’s path. This was it- the moment I was pure woman,
pure mama. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The expansion
begins to fade. I reassure myself, the shoulders sometimes take a contraction
or two to come out. It is not an emergency yet. I am totally in the moment, not
fear. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Keep going!” The
midwife exclaims from the mists of the fading expansion. “It’s just the body to
go!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The moment of
truth- the shoulders were born with such ease I didn’t even realise it! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A second of deep
surprise and back into my womanly giving. I push, so hard but at the same time
so effortlessly, and feel the most amazing, vivid, shifting feeling ever- my
baby emerges completely, slides out of my body, and into a world surrounded in
light. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The sun has set.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xZC5A-ITKTKdKHNe48ysykW5RnOFs-BL5J-7T9pMiJpVIMGygmXDdQRte-Jxsd5VpEEGmKFzue0fg0qQdb4G-SV5NTemHCH4CIj4W5YtSfOjKKYjDI7SikEsUnBZVpgmZI-AjGYcDO0/s1600/Ya+born%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xZC5A-ITKTKdKHNe48ysykW5RnOFs-BL5J-7T9pMiJpVIMGygmXDdQRte-Jxsd5VpEEGmKFzue0fg0qQdb4G-SV5NTemHCH4CIj4W5YtSfOjKKYjDI7SikEsUnBZVpgmZI-AjGYcDO0/s1600/Ya+born%2521.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A most amazingly perfect moment in both our lives, and the photo that captures me better than any other. Birthing Jaiya at the yurt in Kalang, 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And then, I take
her through the water and into my arms. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oh
my God.</i> My little one, my little baby, here, alive, with me. She looks
straight into my eyes with a look of awe and surprise.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> She is here. She is
here. All there is, is her. The weight of her, the slippery feel of vernix. Her
presence. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You’re here,” I
whisper. “Welcome, little one, your birth journey is over.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is Bodhi’s
presence I am first aware of outside of the sacred cocoon of baby and me. He
comes to my side, amazed, looking at the baby. A minute or less has passed
since the birth, and baby has not yet cried or taken breath. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“The baby needs
you to call him in, Bodhi” I say. “You stroke his head; tell him how much you
love him.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bodhi reaches out
and strokes the wet hair of the baby, whispers, “I love you.” The baby squirms,
and then starts to cry. Loud, lusty cries, which I speak to soothingly. “It’s
okay, you’ve had such a big journey. You are here now, you are safe in mama’s
arms, I am your mama.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The baby cries on
until I offer a breast, and she latches on easily. I invite Bodhi into the
pool, and swiftly he takes off his clothes and jumps in. I am holding my two
little one, mama in bliss. Baby suckles easily and lovingly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcp4iHV9wcufmEpUbTR2PzT-W8EC0Gs_z-1nZbqB8UIxHfmu_8RlL8U81VIR3tqLF-Pzklx7jQJ0aWJt_Nm5QHiHsN2nvjwJ-Z-CMxVSJC0OnfirIkuh6jzFERusypGzE6MUwxLnjjcKE/s1600/Little+baby+Ya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcp4iHV9wcufmEpUbTR2PzT-W8EC0Gs_z-1nZbqB8UIxHfmu_8RlL8U81VIR3tqLF-Pzklx7jQJ0aWJt_Nm5QHiHsN2nvjwJ-Z-CMxVSJC0OnfirIkuh6jzFERusypGzE6MUwxLnjjcKE/s1600/Little+baby+Ya.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Jaiya and her milky friends, an ongoing relationship!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We soon discover,
to my delight, she is a girl. A moment of surprise for the others, because
despite my visions and intuition, I had expressed that I thought she was a boy
after birth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In a quiet,
private moment by the fire, Zai and I name our little girl Jaiya Indali Samara
Cambray. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the hours and
days that follow, the birth settles into me. At first I feel battered, drained
emotionally and physically, raw. But at the same time, euphoria as I spend
hours gazing into Jaiya’s eyes. This love and bond that is blossoming opens the
path for euphoria of birth- that I come to experience the full and complete
satisfaction of birthing my baby lovingly at home, birthing after a caesarean,
at forty two weeks to a ‘large’ baby. I had conquered so many demons and
listened to that inner voice that told me to simply trust, love, and birth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The story weaves
itself into my psyche. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the weeks that
follow, I have reframed the disappointment I held in myself for the way I
experienced transition as gratefulness for the complete disintegration and
reprogramming of myself that happened therein, and deciding not to choose the
path of trauma as in Bodhi’s birth, but to uncover untold wellsprings of
womanly strength.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This birth <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is </i>the ultimate resetting. I completely
countered and brought to an end the belief and pattern that I do not bring my
intentions to fruition in my life. I birthed with the deepest authenticity to
my beliefs about birth as initiation, as an act of love, as natural and sacred.
I see in myself a greater sense of self confidence, as a greater presence as a
mama. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My little girl has
gifted me all this. And I love her, so deeply, and so completely. Om Jaiya!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Do you have a birth story you would like to share on Sacred Whisper Bellingen? I intend to make this website a repository for the honouring, celebrating and exploring of birth stories, both the positive and the negative, in the context of all that birth can be for us, as mothers, babies and humanity. Email me at sacredwhisperbellingen at gmail.com to share! </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEi0J8eRC6hYvAyavFve4yP9htt9w2JzPFzogO7sYEQAw3oRyLbHDeEPVNi65EofRDZDpfRGaeaayevSD-yZTQtehh0Af6H98YQcJviakERNB2K1wyvwr3GsDPtnxPnxV1anEW302MRkA/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEi0J8eRC6hYvAyavFve4yP9htt9w2JzPFzogO7sYEQAw3oRyLbHDeEPVNi65EofRDZDpfRGaeaayevSD-yZTQtehh0Af6H98YQcJviakERNB2K1wyvwr3GsDPtnxPnxV1anEW302MRkA/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" height="200" width="195" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dotted windowtext 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 31.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Plantagenet Cherokee","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>© Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2014
</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and the publisher
of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Sacred Whisper Bellingen</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Ph: <span class="skype_c2c_container" dir="ltr" tabindex="-1"><span class="skype_c2c_highlighting_inactive_common" dir="ltr"><span class="skype_c2c_textarea_span"><img class="skype_c2c_logo_img" src="resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png" /><span class="skype_c2c_text_span">0418 950 793</span><span class="skype_c2c_free_text_span"></span></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; padding: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="skype_c2c_menu_container" id="skype_c2c_menu_container" onmouseout="SkypeClick2Call.MenuInjectionHandler.hideMenu(event)" onmouseover="SkypeClick2Call.MenuInjectionHandler.showMenu(this, event)" style="display: none;">
<div class="skype_c2c_menu_click2call">
<a class="skype_c2c_menu_click2call_action" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="skype_c2c_menu_click2call_action">Call</a></div>
<div class="skype_c2c_menu_click2sms">
<a class="skype_c2c_menu_click2sms_action" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="skype_c2c_menu_click2sms_action">Send SMS</a></div>
<div class="skype_c2c_menu_add2skype">
<a class="skype_c2c_menu_add2skype_text" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="skype_c2c_menu_add2skype_text">Add to Skype</a></div>
<div class="skype_c2c_menu_toll_info">
<span class="skype_c2c_menu_toll_callcredit">You'll need Skype Credit</span><span class="skype_c2c_menu_toll_free">Free via Skype</span></div>
</div>
Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-24970172441087419952014-07-18T22:55:00.000-07:002014-07-18T22:55:58.527-07:00The Golden Rule of Mothering<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-AU</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As part of my <a href="http://www.sacredpregnancy.com/sacred-pregnancy-training/mother-roasting-retreats/" target="_blank">Art of Sacred Post Partum</a> training, I was
introduced to the <a href="http://motheringwithsoul.com/the-deck/" target="_blank">Mother’s Wisdom Deck</a>, a beautiful set of 52 oracle cards that
shine light on the work and being of motherhood, across the scope of Natural
Mother (eg cave), Animal Mother (eg Dolphin), Ancestral Mother (eg the Pythia)
and Divine Mother (eg Haumea, the Hawaiian goddess of nurturing). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXKjR5HuiJQbq_o97dflJoXs4okRsjsOJOCmB5N6-FBOJULzi3fcbcwiRAzQRy52-pxFc5baZ3lSvVxD9sDCZzyDSAMqOk2THXzYfikebOnIaUJ9Gry4YEfMKqfago_i4K-hgj5bXeXg/s1600/Quan+Yin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXKjR5HuiJQbq_o97dflJoXs4okRsjsOJOCmB5N6-FBOJULzi3fcbcwiRAzQRy52-pxFc5baZ3lSvVxD9sDCZzyDSAMqOk2THXzYfikebOnIaUJ9Gry4YEfMKqfago_i4K-hgj5bXeXg/s1600/Quan+Yin.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quan Yin, mother of compassion and mercy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Syncronistically, I was gifted a set of these cards by a
dearly sweet postpartum client of mine, and oh! How that gesture touched my
heart. The gift filled me up, and I was so excited to have a look I brought
them out at my very next session, half an hour later, to keep that sister love
flowing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I am not packing the cards into my basket to take them
to client sessions, they sit upon my desk, just beside my laptop and above my
journal. Often in the morning as I start work I will draw a card to give me (or
perhaps, more accurately to enrich my inner, sometimes veiled knowledge) some
guidance for both my work and my mothering- and of course my personal journey
which is strongly linked but paradoxically independent from work and mothering. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbXSSvuWNsD9Pi0q5TH_Tm7zLzOME9LSpCTuU1N-zI6nReJ1oPw7iPMq1z3RQODPx_gc92tskfHnCA-X_wq9Og8K-ob6C22etlHWtX9oOjk3vZlboXU7OvRuOjicgy4S-7ExFjq1A_ys/s1600/Quan+Yin+mother+widsom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbXSSvuWNsD9Pi0q5TH_Tm7zLzOME9LSpCTuU1N-zI6nReJ1oPw7iPMq1z3RQODPx_gc92tskfHnCA-X_wq9Og8K-ob6C22etlHWtX9oOjk3vZlboXU7OvRuOjicgy4S-7ExFjq1A_ys/s1600/Quan+Yin+mother+widsom.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The card in question</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today, as I have on more occasions than any other card, I
drew Kuan Yin. She’s been popping up a lot, so it was time to meditate on her
and find out what exactly it is which she trying to tell me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.sacredwind.com/kuanyin.php" target="_blank">Kuan Yin</a> is the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, and is intertwined
with the concepts and experiences of compassion, motherhood and selflessness. Here’s
a little jewel from The Mother’s Wisdom Deck under Kuan Yin’s entry:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“In Hebrew, the word
for compassion, </i>rachamim<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, is the
plural of the word for “womb”. Just as a baby expands the womb, children expand
our compassion.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a rich beauty in that statement, and whilst that
would make a lovely blog post to explore, they were not the words that sung out
with a resonant toll of wisdom for me today. Instead it was this:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“This thousand armed
goddess, ever ready to offer mercy, prods us to temper our reactions with love.
She whispers: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">mother as you would like
to be mothered.</b>”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whew, those last eight words have opened up a profound shift
in me, on this chilly winter afternoon, sitting at my desk. Mother as you would
like to be mothered. Of course. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGCOcyypp_Pf7_X7wHEarkkxtNL7fpabEcS-EwFuiRvtZNaVFb3dIYVSChAzxUrURjFWCe_8LtAc0QCCof7xr6Sjeodu3DnaJXPmCO5bxB_2xQyzvVrNcPvyZyhab8iiF2h8wiMeopaY/s1600/QUan+Yin+again.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGCOcyypp_Pf7_X7wHEarkkxtNL7fpabEcS-EwFuiRvtZNaVFb3dIYVSChAzxUrURjFWCe_8LtAc0QCCof7xr6Sjeodu3DnaJXPmCO5bxB_2xQyzvVrNcPvyZyhab8iiF2h8wiMeopaY/s1600/QUan+Yin+again.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So many times in my mothering journey, empathy is the
answer. Perhaps it is always the answer. I am not sure. I do know, though, when
I am feeling out of sorts, disconnected, both from these three precious little
beings I mother, or from my <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ideals and
visions of my own mothering, empathy is the fast track to bring me back to
connection and a sense of centredness in my mama-being, which are probably the
two most important parts of my mothering ideals. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The statement, Mother as you would like to be mothered, a
shiny “golden rule” indeed- what a great tool and mantra for empathy and
compassion! Embodiment of the Kuan Yin way, on so many levels.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I take this into my mothering, right in this moment. How
can this enrich the lives of my children, and of my mama-being?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Connecting to that little girl inside me, the memories of
being a wild little girl running around the farm I grew up on, at the bottom of
another sacred mountain, climbing fig trees, building cubbies from bark and
sticks, watching dragonflies around the dams and being scared witless of the
horses and bulls which would occasionally find sport in chasing me. That part
of her that still resides in me, what does she yearn for?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the freedom and resources to explore her land and her being
to the edges of what it is to BE her…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
whilst still being held, in safety and often ignorance…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to be nourished by food not just in a nutritional sense, but
by the love and intention behind it…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
fun (or the initiation of it at least, and allowing the play
to take it’s own path) and the provision of spontanaety, surprise trips to new
places and activities that bring newness and joy…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
presence and cuddles in the darkness of night when
nightmares visit or fears crawl into bed with her, and the assurance that YES
morning will come, and that NO things won’t feel this scary forever…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
adorable little hand crafted “friends” that appear as a
manifestation of mother love (this is a thread that has definitely carried from
my mum, who made me so many little toys, to my children- my little girl has a
rainbow unicorn, a Waldorf doll and a butterfly fairy sitting in her bed right
now, loving stitched by me)…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
education about and support within that big wide world
around us- nature, but also what it is to be a woman, to live an alternative
lifestyle, to be a person living in the bush, to be an aware communicator, an
individual that helps the human race evolve to something more loving, connected
and conscious…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
patience in the face of misbehaviour, knowing that there is
a need that has not been met, and a delving into what that need might be, and
how to help her meet it (in cases where this is appropriate) or to have it met
for her (where this is appropriate) or support in grieving that the need cannot
be met (if this is appropriate)…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and in that, connect with her potentiality rather than her ‘wrongness’…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the knowledge that being a mother is a joy for her mother, not
a burden…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the most fervent, yummy, wholehearted cuddles when we return
to each other after time apart.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A little picture of a time in recent days where I felt I was
mothering as I wished to be mothered:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My oldest (six, a boy), who had recently had a tummy bug and
came home from a morning’s gallivanting with dad tired and a little unwell
again: I took a quilt and a pillow and his favourite blanket set him up a nest
on the veranda in that sweet winter sunshine. I sat with him for a while, the
babies pottering around us and rubbed his back. I could see and feel him
soaking up that simple mama love, it was so nourishing for both of us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And as always, when talking of mothering the red thread, the
line from us back to our mothers and grandmotherly ancestors, and forward to
our children and the generations to come, is the context. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My realisation at the end of my meditation was this: that
the adult me, the mother that is juggling these three beings, and a doula and
birth counselling business, and a small publishing job, and a husband, and a
gorgeous little bush home and a much neglected but honoured garden…that mother
is getting what she needs from her own mother.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mother comes to visit for a long weekend once a month,
and brings with her respite, joy, space and a slowing down. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mother is just so adept at mothering me as a mother
myself. Despite her years, she had endless energy and presence and play for my
three children. She heartily lets me- even tells me, sometimes, to go have a
sleep, and doesn’t wake me until I wake up. She gives my husband and I time-
the only time we have, in fact, to slip out for a cuppa. And she gets the kids
breakfast and takes them for a walk, now, after night weaning my youngest, I
can feasibly go out later than 9pm- and need a little sleep in the next
morning. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And it’s not so much the sleep that is the most nourishing,
or whatever she is providing for us or facilitating for us. It is the
understanding, empathically, of the need below it, and giving her all to fulfill
that, non judgmentally, with love and compassion. It all comes down to love. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>In what ways do you "Mother as you wish to be mothered?" Or how could you extend yourself to mother in this way? Or father, of course, if that is your path...</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOvI1tKyfmQUtsa8qnzDRuW_6zwq8wIebMCbiRJBZRgq7GxkMfIfPPsCrWrjnMM55wgSVtBtRNvqHuwdAxf8SR-YIxLKy7KJ8zyi1e5t8-Sd5yGynzW-eLaVIeP2l2ZMPQ3up66GIE5s/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOvI1tKyfmQUtsa8qnzDRuW_6zwq8wIebMCbiRJBZRgq7GxkMfIfPPsCrWrjnMM55wgSVtBtRNvqHuwdAxf8SR-YIxLKy7KJ8zyi1e5t8-Sd5yGynzW-eLaVIeP2l2ZMPQ3up66GIE5s/s1600/MR+logo+with+under+tag.jpg" height="200" width="195" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-AU</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1027"/>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1"/>
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>© Sammi Cambray/Sacred Whisper Bellingen 2014
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Sammi is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamarising" target="_blank">holistic doula and birth counsellor</a>, and the publisher
of <a href="http://sacredwhisperbellingen.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Sacred Whisper Bellingen</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Ph: 0418 950 793 </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-13581817726035506342014-07-11T19:06:00.000-07:002014-07-11T19:06:36.972-07:00Book Review: The Down to Earth Birth Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietWzV3GGl75b5Vu4AYp3nxbmvHh3vwAwLf4yDrX5x83rBeSmU0ik1JJQwxR_i6nP1-9UmK9cbNHXdideMympAxjEqQYIzovJLpy-u522zOU2SJWUG_65YOuWy16G-F8PuxnY4-8nUtoM/s1600/cover_dtebb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietWzV3GGl75b5Vu4AYp3nxbmvHh3vwAwLf4yDrX5x83rBeSmU0ik1JJQwxR_i6nP1-9UmK9cbNHXdideMympAxjEqQYIzovJLpy-u522zOU2SJWUG_65YOuWy16G-F8PuxnY4-8nUtoM/s1600/cover_dtebb.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I truly, truly love this book with little ripples of love that perforate all of my being.<br />
<br />
From the author's <a href="http://www.birthwork.com/books/" target="_blank">website</a>: "<em>The Down to Earth Birth Book</em> is a practical guide to natural
birth in any setting, promoting self-nurturing, responsibility and
awareness to help create a conscious birth and parenting experience.
This is a ‘grass roots’ book that celebrates the innate intelligence of
mind, body and spirit in relation to birth."<br />
<br />
This is a thoroughly useful book for those with a passion and intention for natural birth. One of the teachings I have received from gestating and birthing my three little creatures is learning to sit in the space between accountability for our decisions as birthing women (something we are at risk of being disengaged from in mainstream birthing systems) and being responsive and open to the path that the pregnancy and birth journey takes.<br />
<br />
This book fully supports a woman to be in that paradoxical space: to make decisions from a holistic, informed place, and to equip her and her support people to nourish and care for mama and baby in gentle and wise ways.<br />
<br />
The book's scope is wide, from addressing birth settings, to body connection and image, to birthing practices, to post natal information such as breastfeeding nutrition and elimination communication. <br />
<br />
The <i>Down to Earth Birth Book</i> was written by Jenny Blyth, a birth worker with many many years of experience, from Queensland (again, the Australian context of the book is very useful). Jenny has inspired me with her other works, the book <a href="http://www.birthwork.com/books/" target="_blank">Birthwork</a>, and with Alieta Bell, the incredible birth movies <a href="http://www.birthwork.com/dvds/" target="_blank">The Big Stretch</a> and the <a href="http://www.birthwork.com/dvds/" target="_blank">Big Stretch Sequel</a>.<br />
<br />
This is a most nourishing and useful book for pregnant women, post natally and birthworkers. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-37577453101715434672014-07-09T19:39:00.001-07:002014-07-10T12:32:39.404-07:00Support Sacred Whisper Bellingen- Advertise with Us!Sacred Whisper Bellingen has a strong local focus. We are here to be THE source for pregnancy, relationships, birth,
motherhood, fatherhood, food, babies, love, conversations, local
happenings and MORE!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-l-WyrWFhPa1rXgJbCq7leQvgjtyfBgWM5l7rr7-7mVkaXlcN3LaKB1X4Xej_Ubg28vRfPqs-PeTX_m4Q5j73FmY2TydLcWHiR_SUogw3KuEGIo-i69ry97dpzZgl5HSVDTv0BMR1C0/s1600/SP+Sedona+%2713+(530).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-l-WyrWFhPa1rXgJbCq7leQvgjtyfBgWM5l7rr7-7mVkaXlcN3LaKB1X4Xej_Ubg28vRfPqs-PeTX_m4Q5j73FmY2TydLcWHiR_SUogw3KuEGIo-i69ry97dpzZgl5HSVDTv0BMR1C0/s1600/SP+Sedona+'13+(530).jpg" height="400" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Part of that, is supporting and highlighting all of the amazingly cool, conscious businesses out there in our community.<br />
<br />
Sacred Whisper Bellingen is offering advertising at REALLY GREAT RATES, with packages that include ad spots, guest posts, business highlights about your business and reviews written by Sacred Whisper Bellingen, and the opportunity to run giveaways through this site.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sacredpregnancy.com/" target="_blank">Sacred Pregnancy</a> is a worldwide movement, which is growing exponentially in popularity and scope. Sacred Whisper Bellingen is the first Australian Sacred Pregnancy blog, and there is already a huge SP following in Australia...so not only great for local businesses, but businesses that deliver nationwide as well. <br />
<br />
I have to repeat, the rates are AMAZING, from $10 upwards. If you are interested (and I humbly suggest you should be!) click the link under the "Supporters" heading on the right sidebar, and I'll be in touch soon. Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-47582018214244261482014-07-09T19:13:00.001-07:002014-07-10T12:33:06.761-07:00The Beauty Way of BirthThe <a href="http://www.sacredpregnancy.com/" target="_blank">Sacred Pregnancy Movement</a> talks a lot about living in the Beauty Way. It's a most wonderful topic to explore. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65L63aRDB88Gxcj644f0GbKAVoyxwI0WG-WxIEsDg9_RREb0NLWFn5p0Bd3d-mobu_TY2NyvVYVxXumQ1SZ676QgIH2Y8K6D_u7Wzy0E2Fuc9ucGMCV4LfieaCDbh1Wn4JXXYOXmYKKY/s1600/20121104_SP_0213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65L63aRDB88Gxcj644f0GbKAVoyxwI0WG-WxIEsDg9_RREb0NLWFn5p0Bd3d-mobu_TY2NyvVYVxXumQ1SZ676QgIH2Y8K6D_u7Wzy0E2Fuc9ucGMCV4LfieaCDbh1Wn4JXXYOXmYKKY/s1600/20121104_SP_0213.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
To me, the Beauty Way speaks to me of the nourishing depths that can be found in the intricacies of life...consciously living in divine alignment with the quiet, but strong voice of the wise being within. The beauty way manifests in the attention to detail and the amazing sense of PRESENCE that comes from this...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhII2wfwFgEHCyl5ahd3oZdXhY7gobAx6X109Qm2noLUtsOyQ5a3nwLJdK5I2zIMqXUy7bkSo0s3oedzbuksJ6IlAcjT0J_XAB5XubQfSNkrF9Gyzxg1svgkpLNetGMwwKleBBPxxJtzQQ/s1600/Belly+paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhII2wfwFgEHCyl5ahd3oZdXhY7gobAx6X109Qm2noLUtsOyQ5a3nwLJdK5I2zIMqXUy7bkSo0s3oedzbuksJ6IlAcjT0J_XAB5XubQfSNkrF9Gyzxg1svgkpLNetGMwwKleBBPxxJtzQQ/s1600/Belly+paint.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
fully entering and engaging with the moment by nurturing and embellishing it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtbVNdYQbzsY3vqG0hPc8aw1gxgtAdeA9L7xSQicZu2SqqPddorpLEn-CYARt6jtBTxvVh7ZvsfEidPg-oJkyXXZkty4ST3Fve6kx_l_Z7KWHmOXj_iT5iUwLUHmrdElRkAnoSvipmq4/s1600/edit-5640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtbVNdYQbzsY3vqG0hPc8aw1gxgtAdeA9L7xSQicZu2SqqPddorpLEn-CYARt6jtBTxvVh7ZvsfEidPg-oJkyXXZkty4ST3Fve6kx_l_Z7KWHmOXj_iT5iUwLUHmrdElRkAnoSvipmq4/s1600/edit-5640.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
My little unique gestures of the beauty way...an earthy headscarf wrapping my hair...a drop of fragrant Indian oil on my journal... singing mantras to my babies as they fall asleep...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvw10czDxNBoBm4fRV6iSX1hpDJ0Rr5-ZLbWs7d_WnfiKyb8x7LRtOs8faXySeUVOvSr4_xD7JDWQyJQw9WlZOwjz1ENfU3w1HXZGQ5vjj2l4Nvpo33991rVVouWPb_r-LulkJVR2Bong/s1600/henna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvw10czDxNBoBm4fRV6iSX1hpDJ0Rr5-ZLbWs7d_WnfiKyb8x7LRtOs8faXySeUVOvSr4_xD7JDWQyJQw9WlZOwjz1ENfU3w1HXZGQ5vjj2l4Nvpo33991rVVouWPb_r-LulkJVR2Bong/s1600/henna.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I love the idea of leaving a space more rich than when I entered it. I have always struggled with a sense of 'having' beauty, I've never felt it was something I held myself. There's a lot of baggage there. But thinking and feeling deeply into the Beauty Way has taught me that beauty is a 'doing' word, not a 'being' word.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_j_r1Vys5tOyTRBwIkMsden4rc2SUny-AEw7rV6-t09ILmHU_BkWHd7dg4PJJz1UEH-v_wDq9XPUXVjWCmJnARDslS8zBzVe6lQrsu3hNstwdf6zG76McmxO_3ULi9bG_AwEWZhc8Lk/s1600/SP_0658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_j_r1Vys5tOyTRBwIkMsden4rc2SUny-AEw7rV6-t09ILmHU_BkWHd7dg4PJJz1UEH-v_wDq9XPUXVjWCmJnARDslS8zBzVe6lQrsu3hNstwdf6zG76McmxO_3ULi9bG_AwEWZhc8Lk/s1600/SP_0658.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It is something that is dynamic, active, flowing, full of LIFE, not static and arbitrary. Engaging in the Beauty Way firmly places me in the present, exactly where I am most nourished to be. Mindful, conscious, grateful and blissful...YUM!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Copyright Sacred Whisper Bellingen/ Sammi Cambray 2014</div>
Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7018160685284346313.post-72409102402357297922014-07-09T18:40:00.001-07:002014-07-10T12:32:10.200-07:00Meet Zai- Our Resident Foodie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDpvEOnNjXZR0JrVA6s-adc4m86_ihL5A9dclwgCpGfiR3hhcava5AyolAZ8-Yfi6Y2D2k0z2I3gM9AvxV2TrvLMkjIG5vkXa5RZ6CiGxs8Mbyf4hp4t89g9URdTPrJzKNHQSDV_HgTg/s1600/IMAG1946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDpvEOnNjXZR0JrVA6s-adc4m86_ihL5A9dclwgCpGfiR3hhcava5AyolAZ8-Yfi6Y2D2k0z2I3gM9AvxV2TrvLMkjIG5vkXa5RZ6CiGxs8Mbyf4hp4t89g9URdTPrJzKNHQSDV_HgTg/s1600/IMAG1946.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Meet Zai.<br />
<br />
Zai is our resident Foodie, and will be making regular contributions Sacred Whisper Bellingen with all sorts of amazing, nourishing, inspiring recipes. He had been cooking up love and trouble at <a href="http://5churchstreet.com/" target="_blank">5 Church Street</a> Bellingen since it opened a few years ago, and has been working in kitchens since he was a young lad.<br />
<br />
Get to know Zai a little more intimately here:<br />
<br />
SW: What does food represent to you?<br />
<br />
Z: A creative outlet.<br />
<br />
SW: What's your favourite food to make?<br />
<br />
Z: Indian...it's a broader range of textures and flavours, if I had to nut it down to one style. I ate a lot of it growing up, and Mexican as well.<br />
<br />
SW: Tell me about your cultural heritage when it comes to food, because you have two really interesting paths there, haven't you?<br />
<br />
Z: Yeah, well my grandfather started the first Mexican restaurant in Australia, and he was very successful with that for many years... He travelled around the world, and Mexico. And my aunty is a Hare Krishna devotee and she learnt all her cooking through that, so I grew up learning Hare Krishna recipes. I've always had a knack for cooking, I don't know whether it has come through the gene pool.<br />
<br />
SW: What does the creating of food bring to your life?<br />
<br />
Z: Relaxation time...outside of work it's relaxation time.<br />
<br />
SW: What direction would you like to see the creating of food take in the future, socially, thinking of the slow food movement, a move back to wholefoods, foods grown within our own local ecosystem?<br />
<br />
Z: All that's good. None of it's a sole answer, because not all foods will grow everywhere, a lot of spices just don't grow in this country. Just to be more conscious of what you eat. Gypsy Mirabai Seedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711050158167967643noreply@blogger.com0