One thing I love about Viv, who’s been my beauty therapist for as long as I’ve been in Byron is that she never minds getting me a lavender-oil soaked tissue to smell before she starts my waxing routine.

Over the years I’ve seen her practice grow into a gracious salon – equipped these days with some of the latest state-of-the art therapy equipment including colonic hydrotherapy; oxygen facial therapy; removal of fat by cavitation and painless hair removal.

But it wasn’t always like that. “Byron has always been my spiritual home,” she tells me. “Beauty therapy really began as a hobby to support my ballet dancing. I studied beauty therapy  in Byron, on the Gold Coast and in Sydney, and had a small studio at the back of my house, and of course, like everybody else I had to work as a waitress to support myself, but beauty therapy paid for my dance tuition at the conservatorium. I went through all the grades and danced full-time, and gradually made the transition from dancing into beauty therapy.”

Vivienne Freeman runs Azula Beauty and Body Cleansing Clinic in Byron’s Industrial centre.

For Viv one of the main things has been to continue her education. “I never wanted to just run a beauty salon,” she says. “I wanted to understand how people’s psyches work around their health and beauty and be able to help them function at optimal health.”

To that end she enrolled at Southern Cross University to study a Bachelor of Naturopathy and Complementary Medicine degree. “That was really just the start of it,” she says. “It’s been a lifetime of learning. Modalities I’ve studied include yoga, homeopathy, herbs, colon hydrotherapy, cranio-sacral therapy and Oriental medicine.”

Over the years she’s come to the conclusion that there are eight principles of life to observe – and if these are in balance then life works. “Nutrition is number one,” she says, “then sunshine, breathwork, fresh water, exercise, loving relationships, meditation and sleep.”

Although she loves living and working in Byron, one thing about the Byron lifestyle disturbs her. “I have to say that I’ve seen a vast increase in the amount of alcohol young women drink,” she says. “They don’t realise the damage they are doing, it destroys the liver, and brain tissue, it affects the skin, and new studies have shown it’s a possible cause of cancer. The problem for young women is that they are often underweight, or at least, very slim, as well and that makes the effects of alcohol on their bodies even worse.”

I wonder how she feels on the subject of that now widely-accepted beauty treatment – Botox? “We’re moving away from the Botox revolution,” she says, “and into healthier ways of keeping the skin taut, young and beautiful like radio-frequency and oxygen therapy. After long-term Botox use, and if you suddenly stop the skin begins to sag. Why not grow old gracefully? When practising the Eight Principles we will look and feel fabulous inside and out.”

Vivienne describes her salon as an “holistic beauty centre. They’re not just with me for treatment, I advise them and I give them some education on their bodies and their health. What they do with that advice knowledge is their choice, but I feel it’s important for them to know that they can make very important changes which will have long-term beneficial effects on their lives – and it’s not that hard! I like people to take their health into their own hands.”

I can certainly vouch for Viv, her treatments, her wise advice, her laughter and her warmth. So if you live in Byron, or are passing through make sure you a book an appointment to visit her at her welcoming and warm salon in Byron Bay’s Industrial Centre.

Just remember to ask for the lavender tissue.

You can contact Viv on https://azulabeauty.com.au/

Call her on: 0413898999

Instagram: azula_beauty

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/azulabeautybyronbay/

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The first thing that strikes me about healer Kenji Kumara, is how lightly the healing mantle sits on him. Here is man with over 48 years experience in the human potential movement, with degrees in education and psychology, who has studied with some of the leading visionaries of our time, but it turns out his favourite morning activity is to read the sports pages of his local newspaper with a cup of coffee. Not only that, but he skips breakfast and sleeps in as late as he can on some days.

“I only get up really early when I need to,” he tells me. “I need my rest for the work I do, so I ease my way into my working day.” At the moment, the 72-year-old Japanese American, who was born and raised in Berkeley, California, is living in Sedona – a place renowned for its healing energy. “I’ve realised that the work I do is my social life. I get a lot out of teaching, and really, the world doesn’t have that much to offer me,” he says.

It’s his Quantum Lightweaving that Kenji is passionate about.  He will be hosting a five-day residential retreat at Gymea Eco Retreat and Spa (near Uki) from September 19-23rd.  For more details go to:  kenjikumara.com/australia-retreat/

Through his decades of healing work he’s created a quantum level transformational system that produces quick and gentle on-going shifts in consciousness, mind, body and emotions – his ‘quantum light weaving’. He says that ‘anybody’ can learn his work, and that his teachings are geared towards leaders and teachers who are ready for their next step in quantum consciousness.

Kenji Kumara is giving a one-off five-day residential retreat at the beautiful Gymea Resort near Uki.

Kenji is in private practice and is a contemporary energy medicine specialist (CAM), metaphysical technician, trans-dimensional visionary and inspirational teaching channel for ascended energies.

One of Kenji’s great attributes is his humour, and he easily mixes the mundane with the magical, talking about the difficulty of squishing into plane seats in the same sentence as he talks about channelling ascended master energies. For Kenji, it is all life – and ultimately, all love – for him, dedicated as he to his truthful path in life, connecting to the Christos energy he lives and works with.

He’s excited to come to Australia next month, where he will be teaching and giving workshops, feeling that he’s had a connection with the land through some past lives before. “I’ve got no doubt that I’ve had a connection to Indigenous Australians and also to the landscape,” he says. “I’ve often felt it calling to me.”

In a way, his journey here came about because of a bit of ‘lightweaving’ – he mentioned to an Australian member on a call that he’d love to come here and Vanessa, who comes from a banking and corporate background, decided that she’d like to try and organize Kenji’s first visit to Australia.

One of the many interesting aspects of Kenji’s teachings is grasping the idea that anything we plan on the earthly plane, has, in fact already happened on what he calls the ‘interplanes’. “What I’ve learned is that everything is happening simultaneously,” he says. “If you think of something, it’s in fact already happened. For me, the important thing is to hold the space for people to come away being much more illuminated in all aspects of their being, and to recognise the illusions and false perceptions they’ve been operating under.”

A Kenji meditation often starts with a ‘no hold bars’ statement. Despite a huge amount of compassion and empathy for people’s ‘problems’, he believes that all of us, no matter what is going on for us, can leave it behind in order to connect with the divine. “I don’t care if you’re going through a terrible divorce, if you’ve become bankrupt, or even if you have a terrible illness,” he says, “leave it behind. Connect with who you truly are. Align with the field of oneness is a way that is reflection of your spirit, and you will shift from separation to unity consciousness, that’s for sure.”

Kenji on top of Bell Rock, in Sedona, 2015.

And when he talks of leaving difficulties behind, he’s known a few. “I understand the kind of thing people can go through,” he says. “I’ve had a number of near death experiences in my life, and once I was homeless for six months. I’ve had periods where I’ve had heavy credit card debt, and at one point I went bankrupt which was a low point. There are some teachers – and I can say this from direct experience – who are remarkably short on empathy, but talking from your intellect is not a way to help people. When you teach from experience it’s much more powerful, it’s like AA, the most powerful way to help an alcoholic is to be a fully-recovered alcoholic, because they truly understand what it feels like.”

It was his own self-healing that kept him going during the tough times. “I just kept on with my spiritual and energetic activations,” he says. “I love doing these activations – they blow me away. They’re just in my bones, so for me personally I don’t notice it so much but the people receiving them are just over the moon about them, and the healing they experience is miraculous.”

I tell Kenji I can personally attest to that – some years ago I was listening to one of his replays, where he did an activation. I had a sore ankle at the time – and during the activations I felt this incredible light and warmth go into it, and the pain completely disappeared. I was amazed that it could still work on a replay of a show thousands of miles away from me.

Gymea Eco Retreat Centre and Spa near Uki, northern New South Wales.

“It’s extraordinary to me too, and yet in a way it’s ordinary because it’s just what happens,” he says, mildly. “I’ve just learned to accept that it works. When I run workshops I tell people that by the end of the first day they’ll be able to receive a light ‘wave’. A lot of students don’t believe me, and they’ll tell me that. But I just have the knowing that people will get it, and can do it – and honestly some of my students can do it better than I can. Anybody on any level of evolution can do this – everybody can feel. Not everybody can be clairaudient or clairvoyant, but everybody can feel. I had a student who had brain damage as the result of an accident, and she was attempting to heal herself. Something shifted every day during the training – she described it that it felt as if something was popping open and releasing in her brain. There’s no limit to this energy.”

During the five-day retreat at Gymea, near Uki in northern New South Wales, Kenji will be helping people to experience the enlightenment of who they really are, through group session activations and teaching. “I see part of my work to be taking people from where they are to where they want to be,” he says.

Part of Kenji’s work is helping people clear past blockages. For him, as he went more deeply into healing work, he realised that a lot of his natural ebulliance and humour had been suppressed because he was often unwell as a child.

“When I was five, I was playing across the road from our house – my mom called me back, and a car doing 35 miles per hour hit me,” he tells me. “The paramedics told my mother that I should have died, but I ended up with concussion and a broken arm and leg. I was in a coma for a while, and I believe I was with my Council deciding whether to leave or stay. As you can see, I chose to stay, but even without that I wasn’t well as a child, I was raised on health food but I was always sickly! When I was ten I had a very high fever – almost 105 degrees – and that started a bout of fever nightmares where I would be in deep space, in a vortex, and I would hear a roar of the universe’s energy. I felt like I was being sucked into a bottomless pit in this vortex, and I would sense that if I let go, I would go down into the vortex and explode into a million pieces and Be the Universe. I would pray to God, please don’t let me die, and I would wake up immediately. I had that experience six times and every time it was the same. But I think I was being prepared so that I would understand this energy.”

Understanding the energy of source.

Kenji believes it was his father’s mother, who was Japanese, who was carrying the healing torch, and that she understood he’d inherited the gift of healing. “My grandmother – my father’s mother – didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Japanese. She was the spiritual leader of the local Methodist church. They kept it a secret from me – which I’ve never understood. She used to say that she got up at 4.00am every day to pray for everybody, and I would wonder why. She did hands on healing, and healing through prayer. She was also a marvellous cook. I loved to eat what she cooked.”

Even as a young child Kenji was interested in the philosophic notion of who we are. “I remember when I was five I asked my mother, “Who am I?” and she replied, “You’re Japanese!” And of course, that’s not what I was asking, I was asking from a completely different level so I walked away realising that my parents weren’t going to be able to help me with this question. I had to find out the answer for myself.”

Over the years of listening to Kenji, I’ve learned to accept his extraordinary gift for channelling as a given. When Archangels, or Jesus (Yeshua) or Mother Mary, or any ascended master comes through him, the messages are so loving, so profound that there is an instantaneous feeling of relief from the existential anxiety of the human condition.

Kenji still remembers vividly the first time he had a vision of Yeshua. “I took T. Harv Eckhart’s course, Train the Trainer, we did this small group exercise, and I had this “vision” of Yeshua coming towards me with a torch,” he says. “He was saying to me, or I was feeling he was saying, ‘I’m passing the light onto you’. I found I was crying, I was just absolutely stunned by the depths of the feeling sweeping through me. This experience had nothing to do with the exercise we were doing. Now he comes through so much in the work, I tell people – he’s here – and it’s just second nature to work with him. I was studying magnetic work in 1997 and suddenly I felt Mother Mary behind me, she walked into my body from behind and merged with me. A most awesome experience. I’m sure I’ve had other energetic experiences with archangels and ascended masters, and I guess in a way I’m a catalyst in the sense that I seem to be able to initiate energies. I know when that happens people are affected by the work – they move into joy or bliss and others become angry or feel pain in their bodies – I call it moving pain syndrome because it’s as if they need to let the in, and move through them, and truly feel it in order for it to go.

But Kenji is adamant that whilst he might have been practicing his ‘art’ for some decades, where this energy comes from is available to all of us. “The healing energy comes from Prime Source, and all I do is embody it,” he says. “In fact ‘do’ is not the right word – you don’t have to ‘do’ anything! You just have to be open to what Yeshua taught. He put his hands on people to heal. All you need is an open mind.”

His open mind has seen him embrace becoming a clear channel for teachings. “I don’t filter, or pre-order what I say – I just know that it tunes into the flow.”

Kenji is an example to all of us to keep going no matter what, because despite his passion for what he does, there have been many times where he was close to the edge. It was a chance phone call that turned his practice around, and he is grateful for it even today. “Things turned around for me because a friend of Sheila Gayle’s had sent Sheila one of my old newsletters and she was guided to check out my website,” he says. “She got a feeling about it and decided to call me one Saturday morning. She asked me on to her show, and suddenly thousands of people listened to me. She told me after she never calls people she doesn’t know out of the blue, but she trusted her guidance and did it. I had to scramble to put together a program and products in about two weeks. We did it and I went on her show, and from there everything shifted. I literally got saved – I was only three or four months from having to be homeless. I had huge credit card debt, and I’d had to give up my car, so I had to get a ride or walk everywhere. I was living in Seattle then, and I would walk to do most of my stuff, in the dreary weather Seattle manages to put on most days. I felt like a little old bag man, pushing my cart around. Sheila was like a divine messenger. Plus she got me on all these other shows, and now I’m in a position where I’m so busy I have to decline gracefully.”

I wonder if as small children, we are more connected to source, than as we get older, and doubts and insecurities get in the way of us trusting that life will be ok. Kenji is in no doubt as to why humans find connecting to source far more difficult than it ought to be: “It’s because this energy is Love, and Love can get complicated for humans, particularly as we ‘grow up’, but once we tap back into the pure Love of the universe, everything is simplified again! Our inner child can be terribly conflicted and it can believe it’s protecting us, when actually it’s keeping us in a space where we can’t move forwards. I always tell people, we’re not here to heal your Soul because that doesn’t need healing – we’re here to help you heal your ego and your inner child. We need to do this to discover and fully live our purpose. We can educate our intellect so it can rise up to the level of the soul vibration.”

Kenji will lead Quantum Activation Events as an introduction to Quantum Lightweaving (R) from 5 to 13 September at various Melbourne locations and will make available Personal Empowerment Sessions to the public throughout his time in Australia. Details and bookings available at https://kenjikumara.com/events/ or phone Vanessa on 0432 272 443.

Kenji Kumara will be hosting a five-day residential retreat at Gymea Eco Retreat and Spa (near Uki) from September 19-23^rd. For more details go to: https://kenjikumara.com/australia-retreat/

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There are so many ways that developing a ‘bridge’ to link the left and right brain is valuable.  When we combine both the left and right sides of our brains to think about, see and experience the world, we develop a new understanding about the world we live in, the people with whom we interact and the things that ‘happe’  to us.

I believe that just a few benefits of developing a bridge can include our ability to:

1. Communicate more effectively;
2. Reduce stress and anxiety;
3. Develop our creative problem solving skills; and
4. To live richer more meaningful lives

It is also excellent for helping us to develop discernment and to allow us to embrace the Divine Feminine, which is a focus for many at this time of global change and awakening.

Most people favour one brain hemisphere for thinking and reasoning

While humans are designed to have two functioning hemispheres working in harmony as they filter, sending and receiving electrical and neuron impulses via the corpus callosum, most people use one side of their brain more than the other to communicate, think and make sense of the world.

What happens if you are a left brain thinker

If you are left brain dominant you spend lots of time thinking, being logical and examining details to make sense of the world. While this is the favoured way of thinking in the western culture because of its ability to create logical, sequential thinking patterns that support scientific reasoning and intellectual progress, predominantly left brain thinking  can also cultivate anxiety, depression and high stress levels. The constant need to compare and contrast, and judge whether or not something or someone fits into the pattern, (ie is the same as everything else) affects the way left brain thinkers socialise, because left brain thinkers compare and contrast everything to see if it fits or belongs. This means that anyone or anything that is different may be considered weird, strange and too unfamiliar – because it doesn’t belong to the categorising that the left brain does to make sense of things.

Left brain thinkers experience stress and anxiety

The way the left brain works also helps create stress and anxiety because it makes left brain thinkers want to belong and to be ‘normal’ – whatever they determine that to be. They may not believe they belong if they feel, look, or sound different to their perceived ‘norm’. An add-on effect of this is that left brain thinkers often feel uncomfortable or dissatisfied about their bodies, their behaviour and/or with their own skills. They want to be themselves, but their belief they are different to the ‘norm’ can make it impossible for them to like or embrace their individuality and unique qualities.

All of this creates anxiety and affects left brain thinkers self esteem because their comparing and contrasting can often mean they develop an unconscious sense of never being good enough – therefore they never feel good about what they do or the choices  they make, and they always see someone or something else as better or worse than them. This can then create ‘perfectionism’ where no one and nothing – including themselves – meets their incredibly high standards.

Left brain thinking and making sense of the world also develops a sense of competition and on the plus side it is what makes individuals strive for success. But when it is taken to extremes this in turn can affect behaviour, the ability and need to belong and the capacity to sensate and explore feelings.

What happens if you are a right brain thinker?

Right brain thinkers who are not bridging the left and right brain predominantly focus on non-verbal cues, bodies, sensations, feelings, colours, sounds, images, intuition and gut instincts to understand and make sense of the world. They do not focus on what is different and what doesn’t belong, they are instead holistic thinkers and experience everything as unique, but part of a whole, and they can innately celebrate the uniqueness that brings everyone and everything together.

Right brain thinkers don’t expect everything and everyone to be the same and they don’t want it to be. They can be bored if everything seems the same, and at worse feel threatened by it and become unwell or feel unsafe. This may manifest most obviously when they try to fit into a left brain world, or connect with a predominately left-brained group, or undertake specific activities that focus on the development of the left brain.

Right brain thinkers can also experience stress and anxiety

Right brain thinkers may be perceived as ‘weird’ or ‘stupid’  by those who are left brain thinkers and this will in turn have effects on the mental health of the right brain thinker. They can also struggle to belong and fit in, and may feel their skills are not valued or needed. Then, in the same manner as the left brain thinkers, but for different reasons, their self esteem suffers, and they feel they cannot meet the needs and expectations of the society they live in.  They may find it hard to get a job, ‘fit in’ or ‘belong’ and can often feel that they cannot contribute who they truly are.

As a result, just like the left brain thinkers they may not do what they really want, or ‘be’ who they really are, because being who they want to be doesn’t fit into the ‘norm’ of the left brain world. So while the left brain thinkers ‘believe/think’ that they are ostracized and are outsiders, the right brain thinkers ‘feel’ they are ostracised and outsiders.

Bridging the brain hemisphere links feeling with thinking

What I have mentioned above are just some of the things that can happen when we don’t bridge the left and right brain hemispheres. We all need to be able to marry our thinking capacity with our feeling capacity. If we don’t, then we interact with the world without balance and integration and as a consequence lack the skills needed to manage our thinking or our feelings (depending on our brain oreientation). As a result we may experience low self-esteem, a lack of belonging and a sense of disconnection.

Our bodies were born with the ability to use both sides of our brain to interact with the world, we just need to value both sides of our brain and the different ways we perceive the world, and link them up.

How can we bridge our brain hemispheres?

Bridging the left and right brain can be done in numerous ways:

1. One way is by using our imagination (for the left-brain) and/or symbolic metaphor (for the right-brain) where we visualise and imagine a strong link between the two brains that can transmit, hold and receive information and allow them to work together and in harmony.
2. Another way is by creating a physical bridge, that is also ‘symbolic’ – as I do with art therapy clients and art students. I help them use clay, wood or some other kind of material to design and build a bridge that they can feel and sense as a bridge, so it will get all their senses and experiences involved.
3. Or maybe you want to use visualisation techniques to re-create in your mind a bridge that you already know and have visited that you can use as your link point.

In truth there is no limitation to what you can do and how you can imagine or create a link that encourages the two sides of your brain to communicate and work together. So create it in a way that suits you. Then, once you have created the bridge or link, practise getting information to move back and forth every day. Notice how information and thinking patterns move from the left side of the brain to the right, or the right side of the brain to the left.

With practice using both sides of your brain to interact with and think about the world will become second nature, and you will find life has more meaning, more joy and less isolation.

A new way of being will open your eyes, your heart and your mind to ways of thinking and creating that you have perhaps never considered before.

__________________

Paulina Howfield is an art therapist, counsellor, shamanic healer, author and public speaker. To learn more about her work, her speaking engagements and products visit her website at www.matrixharmonics.com

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ATMA RAHASYA

Atma Rahasya – Secret of the Soul Creator, Dhyan Vimal researched the Atma Rahasya or Secret of the Soul formula for over 12 years before this course was birthed. The formula is designed to assist you to see your authentic self, free from all conditioning. It reveals your true nature, along with your highest potential.

Join our senior facilitator Navin for a journey of inner exploration into our true identity. During this workshop you will be guided to examine the frames you’ve used to identify and recognise yourself, using contemplative exercises, and lectures to uncover your personal formula and meditation.

Only 11 places available.

Join us on June 9th and 10th from 9am – 6pm

Lunch included

Cost: $500.00

Dhyan Vimal researched the Atma Rahasya or Secret of the Soul formula for over 12 years before this course was created.

THE 12 BODY ARCHETYPES

The 12 Body Archetypes workshop is a powerful exploration into the evolutionary journey of our bodies: the outer body being a container and the inner body being the content. It is the discovery of the synthesis between both bodies, that allows the individual to embody and live their highest possibility.

In this one day workshop a senior facilitator expounds on the body archetypes and works with you to identify your own inner and outer body. The workshop ends with practical insights and do´s and don’ts for the body types so that you can live the inherent rightness of your body.

Just 10 places for this intimate workshop. Join us on June 8th from 9am – 6pm

Lunch included

Cost: $300.00

For more information go to: https://www.crystalcastle.com.au/events/atma-rahasya/

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‘I’ve worked with dying people, death and loss for nearly 25 years, it has been an incredible experience, exciting and humbling – my learning has been profound, giving me a deep love and appreciation of the mystery we are all a part of.

I use the term Deathwalker to describe my role. I am walking alongside or accompanying the dying person or the family as they all walk towards death and beyond. It incorporates doula work, which is becoming more common of late. My work is all about empowering the person and the family to die as well as they can, and to have a healthier bereavement.

It wasn’t a career path I was expecting to take, nor did I have a calling like many people who work in this field. Life and death called to me, I said yes, and let it take me on a journey, an adventure, an awakening. As it transpired death has been my greatest teacher. Here’s how it began, since that’s the question people ask me the most.

My life was diverse, rich, full and lots of fun, I was heading for another birthday, something I always celebrated with those I loved and those who loved me. I felt acutely the joy of being alive, healthy and living life on the North Coast. I had been living in Byron and surrounds for nearly 10 years, it had already been an expansive time in so many aspects cialis of my life.

Zenith Virago: Working with death for 25 years. Photo: Candida Baker

Moving here in the early 80’s as a young woman I, like so many others was attracted to the beauty of the natural environment, the exquisite ocean and the incredible people and close to nature lifestyle.

I was lucky to be part of the vibrant and growing lesbian and gay community, that also meant I had many friends who were living and often dying with HIV/AIDS. It was an epidemic and generally meant a slow decline, watching young vibrant men, age and diminish into old skeletal men, supported by friends, but only some families due to stigma and prejudice.

Like many people who come here, I was beginning a spiritual exploration, quickly I realized I was attracted to people who held a certain quality, a kindness, a stillness, it took me a while to fathom they were all people who had a strong spiritual path, many of whom were Buddhists.

One of those was my dear friend Sylvia Morrow. Sylvia died early one morning in her garden as the result of an embolism. Sylvia was doing a regular yoga practice in the garden, Richard, her husband had gone to the local shop for milk, and her daughter was in the kitchen. They rang my home to let me know. In one sudden and shocking moment, along with all those who loved Sylvia, my life changed.

After my partner came to my Byron office to tell me the news, I drove to be with Richard, and later went with him to the local hospital morgue to formally identify her body. Whilst I was there, as I stroked her head, and had a silent internal conversation with her, expressing my love and my shock…. I became aware of a hazy jet like stream of transparent energy, coming from her head, through my hand, which had come to a gentle rest in its stroking.

In my niaviety I imagined it must be her spirit leaving, I quickly turned to Richard and Sarah, and the two Police people in the room, but they were all occupied… so I decided to just enjoy it, I had never felt anything like it, I guessed it was a magical phenomena, something sacred and profound, in all my time with so many bodies since, I have never experienced anything like that again.

Many of you reading this may have had a similar experience with your family or friends. Death is surreal and so absolutely real all at the same time, it simply brings you right into the present moment, and you have no idea what the next moment may bring.

As we left the morgue after being with her body, it had been my first experience of a dead person, I heard myself say to Richard we could take care of it all ourselves, did he want me to work it all out? He replied that would be great.

On my way home I called into a local funeral director, he told me everything I needed to know to be able to do it ourselves. Then as a group of friends we did do it all, I completed all the legal paperwork, we collected her body and took it home, built a coffin, washed and dressed her, created a ceremony, and at the end pushed her into the cremator ourselves…. that day was my 37^th birthday, and the next part of my life working with death, dying and loss had begun.

Soon after, other people asked me to help them out with their dead people, by doing the paperwork, helping them with the after-death care of the person, explaining what their legal and social rights were, how much they could do, or in the case of sudden death how to reclaim the body and work with the trauma, or by creating and delivering a meaningful and appropriate ceremony. It was an incredibly exciting and ground breaking time, like many people I had no formal training, or familiarity with death I felt like an extreme sportsperson doing the very best I could in whatever situation arose. I established a small charity the Natural death Care Centre to work out of and to spread the information.

How we deal with each death can be quite different, it is like an equation. The factors combine to create a response, the factors are things like these…..the circumstances of the death, how you hear the news, your relationship with the person and your familiarity with death.

It became clear quite quickly that most people in this community and then elsewhere only needed a little bit of information, guidance and assistance, and with that help they were very capable.  There was no doubt that we were reclaiming our traditional ways of death and afterdeath care. People were able to make decisions, participate as much or as little as they wanted, and when the body had gone, the wonderful part was they felt OK… often they weren’t griefstricken, the being involved had helped them move through the experience in a way that they could feel good about, it was part of their healing. We were all in it together, and some of those death and ceremonies were truly transformational.

It felt as if as a community we were really cutting edge for more natural death and dying practices in Australia…we were simply returning to a more traditional way of end of life practices – we were creating a deathstyle that complimented our more natural lifestyles.

Many of the sudden deaths meant the family were in shock, some even traumatised, especially when someone close had ended their life by killing themselves. Others involved small babies dying at birth or shortly after, some were young children or teenagers, many by misadventure. I was learning on the job – I felt that I could only do my best, and I was all there was. I also felt that I was doing for others what I would want someone to do for me.

People who were dying invited me to come and be with them or their family, to help them plan their dying or death, or to help them plan their funeral. Their most popular opening lines were “I’ve picked the music for the ceremony,” or, “I don’t want it to be sad, I want it to be a celebration.”

This was courageous dying…it was an honour to accompany people in their process, to offer up my legal, practical or spiritual knowledge…this gradually grew in to a large extensive body of work and wisdom, some of these people were incredible teachers for me. I feel now that when I respond, speak or train people, we all come to be of assistance, and I have an embodied learning thanks to them.

To convey to people what is possible, along with many people sharing their personal stories, I co-wrote a book, The Intimacy of Death & Dying, and more recently I was the subject, along with members of our community, of an extraordinary independent documentary, Zen & the Art of Dying. I have now been working in end of life work for nearly 25 years, and teaching for 20 of those.

During that time I kept thinking people would wake up to dying and death and the benefits of exploring, discussing, being prepared and planning, so they could die well. One of the great spin offs was discovering that sex can be a practice for dying, and how the human body is designed not only for life and birth but also for death.

That moment is now here… there are so many books available now, many are personal memoirs by the dying people or the left behind partner, others are full of guidance and tips to help you through the process. There are many stories online and different ways to do death are much easier to find.

For the past 25 years Byron has been leading the way… and I feel we are still at the forefront and have created a hybrid holistic way to do death well, to offer continuous care for our dying, to tend to the bodies of those who have died, creating meaningful and appropriate ceremonies, and experiencing a healthy and natural bereavement.

Many people do not even use a Funeral director at all, with a little guidance and assistance they complete the paperwork and all the body care themselves.

Here are some of the aspects for you to know

( depending which state you live in and the individual circumstances involved), you can:

• Do it ALL yourself, you don’t need a Funeral director,
• Complete all relevant legal forms
• Keep the body cold at home for up to 5 days
• Take the body home after an Autopsy
• Build your own coffin
• Use a cardboard, wicker or bamboo coffin
• Transport the body yourself
• Create and celebrate the ceremony
• Book the crematorium and deliver the body
• Bury on private ground
• Bury in a shroud
• Cremate in a shroud

All of my involvement with so many incredible and courageous people in this community and beyond, who wanted to die as well as they could, those trying to make sense of the unknown and new place they found themselves in, or who wanted to share the best possible experience with their family and friends, so that they entered into an easier bereavement.

For the past five years, I have been travelling nationally and internationally to deliver a body of teachings in a 3 day Deathwalker Training, a comprehensive and exhaustive sharing of my wisdom, knowledge and skills to help people wake up their inherent capacity, enhance their existing skills and knowledge, and ask as many questions as they can think of. These are intimate workshops filled with a mixture of people, most have been looking for something honest and informative for a while.

As I now enter my 60’s, the last part of my life, death can not be far away as I am way past the tipping point of being closer to my death than to my birth, I find myself in the joy of the finite. I feel so very grateful to have lived a long life through all those different and interesting stages.

Creating a ‘memory’.

I find myself, smiling at small things, laughing at absurdity, being more quiet and still, dancing and partying just as fully. Resting in an ease that everyone around me knows what needs to happen should I die suddenly as we have had all the discussions and I have completed all the best paperwork, left clear and loving letters for my family…. My affairs are in order as they say.

But most importantly I have lived my life as best I can, lucky enough to have always loved aging, I have befriended death, letting it walk alongside me, even holding hands like a best friends or a lover, it is as rich as it can be, as I enter my eldership, I am so full of love for my life that I am thinking to put a body of work together about the Integrity of Aging Well and living a meaningful Eldership as we live the end of our lives.

For more information on death, dying and the Deathwalker Trainings in Australia see our website for the Natural Death Care Centre.

Deathwalker, EO Natural Death Care Centre

Zenith Virago :  Deathwalker. Celebrant. Author. Trainer. JP.
(+61) 0427 924 310
Transformative Rites of Passage. Weddings & Funerals
Conscious & Integrated End of Life & After Death Care
Consultations                                                    

zenithvirago.com <https://zenithvirago.com>

Deathwalker Trainings: <https://naturaldeathcarecentre.org>
Co-Author of The Intimacy of Death & Dying: <https://naturaldeathcarecentre.org/publications>
Documentary Films: <https://zenandtheartofdying.com> <https://tenderdocumentary.com.au>

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It’s not difficult to imagine Sue Spence as a child – she’s talking to me about her childhood in the south island of New Zealand, growing up as the horse-obsessed child of non-horsey parents, and the lengths she would go to go riding. “It really didn’t matter whether it was sleeting, snowing or blowing a gale,” she recalls, “I would get on my pushbike and cycle off to my horse in all weathers. It was the only thing that made me truly happy, and for many years I competed as a show jumper.”

But then trouble reared its head in the form of an unexpected illness. “I’d moved from New Zealand to Australia,” she says, “to Queensland, and I was leading a pretty busy life. I have ADHD, and so for me it was nothing to teach six aerobic classes and then go home and go for a ride, but really I was running on adrenalin. I was the kind of rider that they describe as having a ‘hot’ seat – I could make even a quiet horse jump for the moon!’

Sue in New Zealand as a teenager with her horse Lady.

But although she felt as if she was coping, in fact 15 years ago her life was rocked to its foundations after she was diagnosed with early breast cancer, and it was recommended that she undergo a double mastectomy and reconstruction. “After 30 years of living life at blistering speed – running fitness centres and show jumping, I realised I had to do things differently,” she says. “I moved to a quiet place in the country, and I began to my training in horse whispering, which meant I needed to use a calmer energy.”

Not that it went so well in the beginning. “The first time I tried to get my horse to walk quietly beside me, I was so pent up with anxiety from the cancer and running my gyms, that I was just like ‘go…go…go!” she laughs. Suffering from acute anxiety after the breast cancer, she had to learn to become calm and still. “Nobody had ever taught me that,” she says, “and my ADHD combined with my natural tendency towards fitness just meant I had no idea how to drop into a still, quiet place.”

Sue’s obvious sense of humour shines through as she tells the story of her immersion into the skills of natural horsemanship. “One of my most amazing mentors has been Ken Faulkner,” she says. “I did a clinic with Ken, and I remember I was having a little trouble getting my horse to do something I wanted him to do, and he said, ‘the problem is you have a lot going on inside.’ I was so annoyed. “What do you mean?” I shouted at him, “I’m perfectly relaxed!!” But of course, I was nowhere near relaxed and he spotted it immediately. It was a life-changing moment and it took a horseman to bring me out of my anxiety,” she says, still – I have to say with what you might call a fanatical show jumper’s slight tone of disbelief.

But after learning the tools of the trade, and discovering what a massive difference it had made to her, Sue’s evangelism for a cause kicked in. Her training as a personal trainer and lifecoach became invaluable when she began to run groundwork workshops for women with issues around boundaries and self-esteem. Some women would break down doing her simple ground exercises, because they had never realised how their body language undermined their verbal language.

Sue with Larry, one of her ‘little helpers’.

The whole point being of course, that natural horsemanship, in whatever manner it is taught, is a physical language that allows the human to become a horse ‘leader’, in a non-threatening, strong way, where the verbal and physical language they use is congruent.

But for anyone who has ever thought that you needed a ton of space, horses and equipment to create what has now become an international program with licenses provided to approved practitioners in three states of Australia, you can think again! Her business, Horses Helping Humans™, and her registered charity, the Horse Whispering Youth Program, started out with exactly the same horses she has all these years later – two Shetlands, Mindy who is 28 and Yogi, her 17-year-old son, Larry a 11-year-old rescue mini-pony who lost an eye and Sue’s beloved 28-year-old Quarter Horse,

“People think that when they come to my place they’re going to see something grand, and they get here, and I still have my little motley mob on less than an acre,” she laughs. “But as the program progressed and we began to work with the Department of Youth Services in Queensland, we were able to apply for funding, so now I have a little grandstand, a shade sail over the roundyard and an outside toilet,” she says proudly.

(At the time as building up a business, there was also the family to consider, and if you happen to be a Bacholerette follower you may have noticed Sue’s name used in a completely different context – as the mother of Gold Coast entertainer Apollo Jackson, who was recently a hot contender on the show, and has inherited not just his mother’s energy levels, but also her love of horses.)

Sue’s son Apollo Jackson with Mindy at home in Tallebdugera.

For those who might assume that at some point along the way strategies, business-plans and trademarks would have been part of her thinking, she’s still in awe at how the growth of the program has pretty much taken care of itself.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how much serendipity is a part of what I do,” she says. “It’s as if the universe wants HHH out there. Just for one example – when I ran a corporate workshop in Rockhampton one of the practitioners was a business man who told me I needed to go home and protect my IP. I didn’t even know what was! Then later on he asked me again if I’d done it and when I said no, he basically told me I had to do it. I was terrified because I didn’t understand it at all, but then I said to him, well, can I set the license up the same way they did with Les Mills Body Pump licenses, because I can do that – and so that’s what happened. Everyone is trained to a certain level, it’s easy to run and it’s all been based on the Les Mills model because I was a fitness instructor!”

In Rockhampton more synchronicity took place when the local Heritage foundation stepped into support the program. “The people who wanted to start it had no space, and no horses,” she says cheerfully, “so that was going to make it a little difficult, but the Heritage park offered their heritage horses and use of the park and so we were able to set it up.”

In New Zealand it was a magistrate that decided the country needed the program for repeat offenders, and that is exactly what it is being used for. “In Victoria, on the Mornington Peninsular, the license has been brought by a very high-level Parelli practitioner who has an indoor arena, an outdoor arena and a huge American-style barn,” she says, “so really you can see it’s just spreading its wings in whatever way it can.”

The license fee includes all training manuals, the training of a facilitator, public relations, visits from Sue to various local businesses to promote the program and connection to youth service and other government agencies. “What we do is that the facility that is going to run it is fully operational with clients booked from day one,” she says, “people are 100% set up to run it by the time it opens with full backing from their community.”

One of the reasons why the program is so popular with the Department of Youth Services is that they can measure its success. “The essential point of the program – no matter who else it is used for, is that it’s aimed at disadvantaged and at risk youth,” Sue explains. “After thousands of teenagers have gone through this program, they are able to track the success of it by the number of teenagers who have gone on to university, or improved their performance at school, or stayed in school when they were in danger of dropping out – that’s why we have such a good reputation, and why it was so important to make the licenses are done properly.”

Horses Helping Humans also has a connection with Griffith University whereby interns do up to 50 hours volunteering as part of their degrees. “For us to have volunteers who are studying psychology, criminology or business is priceless,” says Sue.

All the students the program works with are referred by youth and family services, school chaplains or counsellors, mental health organisations, child protection, homeless youth and the Justice Department.

Sue Spence

It perhaps wasn’t surprising – or only surprising to Sue at any rate – that a publisher became interested in her story. “When they first rang me they left a voice message,” she says, “and I was so busy that I hadn’t even got around to to calling them back, but a friend who’s involved in writing heard the message and said to me, ‘Sue, Pan Macmillan are one of the biggest publishers in Australia, call them back NOW!’”

She did, and a contract followed – but for Sue whose ADHD does not allow her to sit still for long, writing the book was just too hard. “I can’t write a shopping list without getting bored,” she says. “I had no hope with the book.”

Enter serendipity again. “I was at the hairdressers and I was talking about my problems with the book,” she says, “and this woman popped her out from a dryer a few chairs down, and said, ‘Sue Spence! Is that you?’” It turned out to be an old friend of mine who was now working as a transcriber – and she offered to come and transcribe my words for me, so I could walk up and down as much as I liked while I dictated my words, and she would write them up. I think we did the book in record time!”

The book gained Sue Australia-wide publicity that brought in new supporters, and even more ideas for how the program can expand into the future. In the meantime the first Horses Helping Humans conference is taking place soon on the Mornington Peninsular, and Sue is in huge demand as a public speaker right around Australia. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could make that right around the world within a few years – a bit of serendipity allowing!

This story first appeared in the December issue of HubVibes – to subscribe to the free monthly magazine go here: equestrianhub.com.au/publishing/

To find out more about Sue Spence and the work she does, go to: Horses Helping Humans . In 2014 Sue Spence received a Women In Business Awards for Community Dedication and in 2016 she was awarded a Business Award for Creating Change.

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As we age do we feel that we have missed the boat when it comes to being cool with Facebook, Twitter, blogs, websites, Google+ and all that social media offers?

After the book The Joy of Ageing, Esoterically was launched, the editors realised that a website was needed to sell the book online and also to expand on the topics raised in the book.

The inspirational Anne McRitchie, who had retired some years earlier from her management position at IBM, invited a group of older women (most in their seventies) from the Northern Rivers to develop a website. We all embarked on a steep learning curve in order to get to launch. Our common purpose was to fill a gap we all felt existed for the ageing population. Bombarded online and in the media with celebrity gossip, sensational news and the latest and greatest, many of us elders feel that there is very little on offer in the media to inspire us.

Anne McRitchie – inspiring others.

So what to do? Should we sit back and give up, feeling invisible and irrelevant? Launching a website felt like a great start to addressing these questions. What was the state of our computer knowledge? Did we need to upgrade computers and/or skills?

With the book as inspiration, we committed to working together to develop content for the website. Anne initiated Skype calls for us to meet once a week, so that was a first step. Download Skype, upload a photo and invite friends. One new thing learned!

Back to content. Okay so we were going to be the writers until we had enough content for the website to be launched. What would be the first topics that we could write about with authority from our own experience? Relationships, the joy of ageing, self-care, exercise were some of the topics that were written about in the book, and that we had been reflecting upon in our own lives. We felt these topics applied to everyone, regardless of age or experience, and so they laid the foundations for the website.

We needed editors, so turning our hand to editing each other’s writing came next. This step meant no imposing, respecting the writer’s integrity and asking for clarification if we did not understand any part of the article. We were clear that the articles had to be accessible to the readers. There was much to be learned about using all the relevant tools offered in Word, such as formatting, spacing and hyperlinks.

You can’t have a website without photos. Who had iPhones? Right, there were are our photographers. As we went along we were very blessed to connect with some professionals who generously gave us some of their photos to use. With time and practice, we were also able to start using our own photographs.

Next was a choice of platform for publishing. Two of our team members, Anne and Gayle spent time researching different options. Weebly was chosen for its clean design, flexible options and ease of uploading content.

An experienced graphic designer was employed at this point to oversee and tweak the layout. Finally the site was launched and you can view it here.

But even ater the website was up our work was not completed; we needed to learn how to upload fresh content and new inspirations to keep expanding the pages on the website. And from there we learned Mail Chimp so that we could put out a monthly newsletter for our subscribers.

A whole new world has opened up for Bernadette Curtin.

We have all been inspired by the way we worked together as a group, and what can be achieved when people work together harmoniously, keeping things light and playful where possible. We’ve shown ourselves that one is never too old to learn new things regardless of how complex they may seem at first! In the words of one team member: “One of the most beautiful things about the Joy of Ageing website team is that we are all learning and expanding through our commitment to serve humanity with the book and the website.  Most of what we are currently doing, as individuals, we did not know how to do before we decided to build a website…we all have training wheels on, all of the time.”

Bernadette Curtin

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My life changed drastically the day my ear nose and throat doctor informed me that what I naively thought was just something caught in my throat, was actually a cancerous throat tumour. Immediate surgery was the next step and “perhaps that may solve the problem”. The very word cancer is enough to send a chill up anyone’s spine, let alone when it comes in a medical diagnosis.

The burning question for me was: what next? Would surgery solve the problem or was this the start of interminable medical treatments?

Surgery did not remove all the cancer cells, and to top it off a biopsy of my thyroid also showed signs of cancer and would have to come out. Good grief, more surgery! Then following that, I faced the daunting prospect of radiotherapy, or even chemotherapy, to kill those recalcitrant cells.

The big dilemma – would I go mainstream or alternative? More lost sleep, and a decision only I could make. One thing I knew intuitively was that I would survive the ordeal – somehow. My ticket to the afterlife would not be stamped just yet.

Over the years I had chosen the holistic approach, preferring alternative procedures when health problems arose. Of course there are times when we all need to visit a doctor, and take prescription medicines. Now with my thyroid gone I faced a lifetime of taking Thyroxine tablets to provide the hormone not being naturally generated by my body.

As a general rule I prefer treatments like acupuncture, osteopathy, bush flower essences, natural medicine and spiritual healing. So I was faced with the biggest health decision of my life.

During deep meditation I received explicit instructions from my master guide whose wisdom has played an invaluable role in my life. Spirit wanted me to combine mainstream and alternative therapy and afterwards write a book about my experience. The story would help alleviate fear and inspire people to take a positive role in their healing.

My decision made, I agreed to radiotherapy, following my guide’s recommendation. I refused chemotherapy. I could then open myself up to the full range of holistic solutions and trust that my footsteps would be led in the right direction. They were.

My family was surprised, fearing that I would reject mainstream medicine, and end up as another disastrous statistic.

Synchronistically, one-by- one, a variety of therapeutic support options dropped into my lap. A healer friend offered regular energy clearing to offset the effects of radiotherapy; a very talented hypnotherapist guest from my radio program , RadioOutThere, prepared me for the thirty five hospital treatments I was facing, and I was loaned a crystal bed from John of God’s healing centre in Brazil, which I had visited in 2008.

Joy of Living author Barry Eaton with his partner Anne Morjanoff.

Since being introduced to the rune stones over 25 years ago I have found them an invaluable way of tapping into my inner wisdom. Each message I received from the runes during the course of my treatment proved uncannily accurate. They clarified some of my inner turmoil and helped me understand what was happening at the time.

My friends and family gave me widespread support. My partner Anne who co-wrote ‘The Joy of Living’ from her perspective, was a vital and loving part of my journey. My son Matt provided me with the backup I needed most in the early stages. Matt has written his thoughts in The Joy of Living about the way events unfolded. I also appreciated a local congregation praying for my wellbeing, even though they didn’t know me.

When I anxiously started radiotherapy, fortunately I was emotionally and spiritually prepared. The specialist radiation staff at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital was caring and supportive throughout the whole process.

Yes, I did face challenging times, but combining mainstream and holistic practices worked exceptionally well for me, and four years down the track I am still cancer free. Looking back, my life has changed in ways I wouldn’t have expected, and I’m a better person for the whole experience.

I believe it’s important to take some personal responsibility in challenging times like this. To collapse into fear is not the answer, nor is it always enough to simply expect one form of therapy to provide all the answers.

Barry Eaton is the author of The Joy of Living: Postponing the Afterlife (Rockpool Publishing $27.99), now available where all good books are sold and online at www.rockpoolpublishing.com.au

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If I had a dollar for every person who asked me ‘How’s retirement?’ I’d be a wealthy woman. I’m not wealthy of course but life is full of new-found riches so I respond ‘I’m loving it and I can recommend it highly’.

It’s now just a little more than six months since I relinquished my role as Lismore Mayor in September 2016 and many people also ask me what I’m doing with all my free time.

As a firm believer in lifelong learning and challenging oneself, I knew that retirement was not going to be boring or sedentary but I didn’t really have more than a few simple ideas about what I’d do with my time. As you might imagine, I had quite a few invitations to join various community organisations but I took the advice of another politician who retired not so long ago, Don Page, and decided to take a ‘gap year’ or at least a gap six months. I wanted to keep my mind open to opportunities and they have unfolded in many wonderful ways.

My husband Ron and I had planned a three-week road trip to Victoria last October to visit family and for me to attend a high school reunion and a gathering of the Bungalow Girls, eight female student teachers who roomed together in a bungalow attached to a Geelong Teachers College hostel. I also announced that I was suspending my very active Facebook account for several months to make it clear that I was no longer a representative of Council or a conduit to it. I admit that I missed the contact with community during that time but it was also a way of giving necessary clear space for the new Mayor Isaac Smith without the ‘old grey mare’ in the background.

Jenny and Ron celebrating retirement before their road trip.

There is something sad and unfair about a retired politician staying on the sidelines and making comments about political decisions so I also resolved never to comment publicly on the voting outcomes of the new Council or to be used to pressure current Councillors on their decisions. I do admit to reading the Council business paper but will not attend meetings and I’ll keep my views on Council decisions to myself.

So apart from that road trip, what have I been up to since September 14?

I was well aware as I approached retirement that I was overweight and too sedentary, had a few aches and pains and wasn’t eating as well as I should. Two years earlier I’d participated in the Cancer Council’s Dance for Cancer and in my efforts to tap dance, I’d joined a gym and become quite fit but in the six months before retirement, I’d lapsed into poorer habits.

Fortunately through being an Ambassador for Heart Health for Women and attending a community heart check morning, I’d been encouraged by Jillian Adams, from Health Promotions here in Lismore to sign up for the NSW Health GetHealthy free phone coaching program. My first phone call from Pierre, my coach, came through on September 16 and from then on, until my graduation last month, I benefitted from the support to set my goals to get healthy.

Having met with the local coordinator of Parkrun in the lead up to its launch in April last year, I supported and walked in the first few Saturday events in Lismore but then dropped away as my motivation waned. But through the GetHealthy program, I set a goal to do something active every day. Mostly that involved walking but soon, to my great surprise, I found myself jogging short sessions. I hadn’t run since I was 11 years old in my first year of high school when I was the only girl Under 12 in October that year and had to run in the interschool athletics at Olympic Park in Melbourne. The embarrassment was immense as I was not at all sporty. So you might imagine my surprise to now find that I can run 5km without stopping and can do it in 33 minutes!

I now run every day for 4-6 kms and have cut out sugar, upped my intake of vegetables, snack less and have lost 14k. I feel fantastic and my back, knee and ankle pains have reduced or disappeared.

Jenny teaching residents at Caroona seated tap-dancing.

Volunteering was also on my ‘to do’ list and as I’d always liked Uniting’s model of Inspired Care, I became a volunteer at Kalina at Caroona in Goonellabah in February. Initially I spent a couple of hours with 6-8 ladies over a cup of tea chatting, reminiscing and laughing at often outrageous stories from their youth. Kay Cleverly, activities coordinator, lived up to her name when she came up with the bright idea that I could teach a group of residents to tap dance while seated. The challenge (apart from my very limited tap skills) was to devise something that would fit on residents’ feet to make a tap sound. The best ideas often come in the middle of the night and so I experimented with the base of drink cans that I collected from the local park, Velcro-ed onto shoes. They work a treat! We’re doing a simple tap dance to Que Sera Sera and having so much fun.

I have also accepted a role as Patron of Jodie’s Inspiration and the Lismore Art Club and continuing roles as Ambassador for the Cancer Council and as Patron of The Rivers College, Kadina campus P&C. Several other Patron roles will come to an end at the AGM of various organisations because my Patron role was linked with the Mayoral position.

My big secret desire during my years on Council was to see if I could act on stage. Although some would say being Mayor was a great preparation, I really had no idea if I could learn lines or take on a character but just before Christmas I fronted up to the Lismore Theatre Company’s Christmas Party, paid my membership and literally put my name in the hat for the evening’s Theatre Sports. I must have played a convincing monkey in a dental surgery and before I knew it I had an email from David Addenbrooke to offer me a supporting role as Aunt Julie in Hedda Gabler. I was stunned and excited! We began rehearsals in late January and opened on March 31 for six performances. ( lismoretheatrecompany.org.au/)

Taking to the boards in the supporting role of Aunt Julie in Hedda Gabler.

My husband Ron retired more than three years ago and went travelling without me several times while I was fulfilling my Mayoral duties but now I can join him so we are off to France and Italy for a long holiday in late April. I learned French at school but knew no Italian except for a few basic words so I enrolled in Beginners Italian with U3A and have been attending weekly lessons this term. U3A has so many wonderful courses but so far, I’m only enrolled in Italian and the weekly discussion group, Friday Forum.

Of course in the midst of all this activity, gardening and reading remain personal passions that I’ve always enjoyed and to which I can now devote more time. I read 2-3 books a week and have recently written a book review for the Richmond Tweed Regional Library newsletter.

A couple of other surprises have also come my way since I retired. Both directly relate to my role as Mayor and both fill me with that odd mixture of humility and pride.

The first was an invitation to become a Mayors’ Mentors for Local Government NSW, the peak state organisation for Councils. When I was Mayor I was very grateful to have the ex-Mayor of North Sydney, Genia McCaffery as my mentor and I’m now so pleased to be able to support other mayors in their often-challenging role by providing a confidential sounding board and guide.

Accepting an Honorary Doctorate at Southern Cross University.

The second great honour is one that was bestowed as recently as Saturday March 25 when I was awarded an Honorary Doctorate at Southern Cross University in recognition of my services to the Lismore community. As part of the award, given at a graduation ceremony, I was invited to give the Occasional Address for the third time. I owe SCU a great deal – in fact I can honestly say I would not have been Mayor if it were not for SCU. My family moved to Lismore in 1991 so that Ron could take up a Lecturing position here in the fledgling Tourism school. As someone who values education and understands the role that regional universities play, I am absolutely thrilled to be given this very special award.

So as readers can see, I’m embracing my retirement with enthusiasm. I love my life and being a cancer survivor, I understand that every day is a blessing. So, as far as the future is concerned…bring it on!

Hedda Gabler opens tonight, Friday April 7 at the Rochdale Theatre in Goonellabah.  Tickets are available for tonight, Saturday, & Wednesday evening. Sunday at 2.00pm is sold out, and Thursday April 13 at 8.00 pm is sold out. You can book tickets here:  lismoretheatrecompany.org.au/

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As an insider of both Buddhist and modern cultures, Leschly will bring to life the inspiration and warmth of the Buddhist tradition in a series of stand-alone programs,  at the Crystal Castle & Shambhala Gardens.

In each session, Leschly will unveil the wisdom of Buddhist insights, and how these can be integrated through the practice of meditation in our every day life.

Leschly has studied and practiced Buddhism for over 40 years, and has taught for the last 20. Primarily as a student of the late Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Buddhist teacher Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, he is a resident teacher for the latter’s Dharma organisation Siddhartha’s Intent in Australia.

Jakob Leschly – teaching at the Crystal Castle

“Everyone recognises and cherishes wisdom, peace and compassion. Yet sometimes it seems that no one actually believes these can be translated into reality. Buddhist meditation challenges such a sense of poverty. Basic goodness is inherent to all sentient life and the objective of the Buddhist path is to actually manifest it. The Buddha taught so that we can claim this natural inheritance, and by doing so, consequently help to dispel the gloom and suffering of the world.” – Jakob Leschly

Leschly is a practitioner of Vajrayana, promoting the simplicity of sitting meditation as the universal ground for natural insight and compassionate action. His language is straightforward and inclusive. He encourages critical enquiry, and delights in the fruitful encounter between East and West.

When:  Saturday 18th February, Saturday 25th February & Saturday 4th March 2017 (Come along to all or just one)
Where: The Peace Room / Crystal Castle
Time: 11.30am – 12.30pm
Cost: Included in your entry fee

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