Magic happened today

For a very long time, since i was in my teens so a very long time indeed, i have been keeping something safe. Something very precious. It is a thing, a real thing, not a secret or a theory, a real grab with both hands thing. In fact, that is how I acquired the thing in question.

The magic was following a thread of interest today, via an internet search and a few hop skips to others, to find an article written by a curator of a museum close to where I went to art college. More internetting ensued and became a conversation across a continent.

To say that it was needed, in the fog of grief, around the disruption of losing my clinic space, in the despair of sleepless nights, at midsummer on a hot sticky afternoon, looking out at the world and wondering where my place in it is, is not just an understatement; it’s validation that the magic of life which I have recently lost is still there just waiting to be discovered.

Yesterday I made the decision to step away from the posting, the reels, the sharing online via social media. It’s been a while coming. Many friends have applauded my actions, others have questioned it and others no doubt wonder if I’m OK. I’ve been feeling the need for deeper connecting than the likes without any comments that leave you wondering why we put so much out there, day in, day out, and then spend time scrolling through other people’s posts. Maybe it is to do with having more time to question when you re not in the flow of life, when your perspective is taken wider through tragedy and loss. When i’m busy being creative, something I have been giving more time for since New Year, it helps to clear my head, sends me into a state from which i can sleep easier. I’ve been sensing a craving for a different flow, a slower pace, a life in which i feel more valued and connected.

So the conversation I had today which connects the lives of families across a 100 years, thousands of miles and no doubt will extend into illuminating conversations of discovery after loss, my heart is full once more of a love for life I had lost. Dad would have been intrigued by the story, as a writer no doubt he would have written a story about it and been proud his daughter has played her part so honourably.

I am still practicing, albeit with less availability, offering mobile appointments and borrowing a room. Festival planning in play, teams coming together and a year of seasonal events planned ahead so far. I am resolute to continue to offer the quality of what I do to those who seek me out, the deeper connection to themselves they crave, those magic moments away from the flow of life, to ponder, to reconnect, to see their place in the world and to know that even if it takes more years that we like to imagine, magic happens when we least expect it.

Pencil Drawing by J Simmons 1917

Sensing Summer Timing

As i write this i’m looking across Morecambe Bay, the estuary waiting for the impending tide which will once again cover the golden sand and the glistening channel of the Kent River flow. Moody grey clouds threaten a garden party birthday celebration, indoor picnic option may need to be deployed.

Taking time gently this year, for many reasons, and finding a flow back to a more active life for a summer of events and activities. I’ve been noticing the length of the days and the abundance of light, particularly last night.

We had spent the morning at Arnide Knott with Delyth from The Healing Forest taking in the majesty of the trees, breathing in the breeze from the other side of the bay, basking in the wonder of taking time out to be in nature. If you haven’t ‘forest bathed’ you may find it a key to a deeper connection to yourself too. It’s a very different experience. To truly be able to ‘just be’, with someone else ‘holding space’ and ‘keeping time’.

Those are aspects we offer at our seasonal events – to allow the space to just be for a day, to suspend your concerns, to reawaken your imagination and explore what this season means to you.

Summer may be a happy time for you, with memories of abundant times. It may be a month of distress as pollen increases and our bodies react and cause issue with ill health. We may be plagued with not having a beach body yet, or other misconceptions of how we are in the world.

For me summer is a time when i’m usually very busy looking after other people’s happy times and this year i’m so very aware of how my life has been scaled down of late.

Embracing it all and allowing the process of life. I’ve just read ‘If Woman Rose Rooted’ by Sharon Blackie and feeling the inspiration such seminal pieces can offer. She reminds us in the last section of Marion Woodman’s description of the fierce crone, something i am aware of becoming myself…

“She is not withdrawn. She is alarmingly present. Like a tuning fork her truth shatters hypocrisy. Others in her presence are released into what is true in themselves. Or flee”

Sharon welcomes us to remeber this when necessary and to become fierce. Be wrathful. And that it’s not about gender – we are all feminine and masculine – our polarities require that sense of awareness in order to balance into ourselves as individuals. And if we sense this in our coming together, how much more beautiful life is when shared with people to whom we feel we can trust to be ourselves with.

Saturday 4th June is the date set for our second seasonal session and you would be most welcome to join us.

details here to book your place – Autum and Winter details – and dates for 2023 are as follows: 25th Feb, 27th May,30th Sept and 9th Dec – all following the cycles of the seasonal moons of new, waxing, full and waning, engaging with the natural flow of life

It starts from the bottom up

March sees up welcoming the idea of our Foundation School into ‘being’, away from the ‘thinking’ about and something we get to ‘feel’ our way towards.

For a long time, ever since Catherine chose to use the phase in the brand name, a school for sustainable purposefully lived lives was coming into being.

And what a perfect time of year to be doing it, as we start to welcome Spring around us, on the New Moon.

If you would like to know more, visit the website for one of our events and sign yourself up, you’ll be most welcome

www.primwellbeingfoundation.com

10.30 on a thursday

Creative Collage – helpful to ‘brain dump’ cunning plans

I’m having a shower. I’ve been up since 08.00; walked our dog, had a coffee. My one coffee of the day? It’s definately going to be a ‘more than one’ coffee day.

I’ve been told to ‘go heal yourself’ and like a child sent to bed in summer, my soul aches to be outside playing. I’m not sure if it’s me that needs to heal or a world that doesn’t seem to want to stop.

A world in which we knowingly continue to allow children to be traumatised by new technology and a veiled apology of ‘we’ll do better’ from the makers. From brands we love that say ‘sorry about the plastic, we’re looking into it’ because their profit growth model won’t allow it, so we trust they’ll ‘do better’ soon and carry on taking the pills, trusting the potions and applying the lotions.

So what will my stepping back achieve? Peace in my mind to continue to be the vanguard, praying for change and softly reentering the arena, different; changed; healed? And what is it to be healed? So many now are even touting that as a business model.

The process of healing, if you’ve ever had a wound, is such. When it’s itchy you’re on the road to recovery, that the tissue is changing, the rawness of the attack is easing and each day you see signs of the healing process. When the recovery is from a mental assault of your senses, its more tricky. ‘Too soon’ looms large frequently, ‘I’m not sure’ becomes a mantra, brain and bone tired more sleep doesn’t restore.

So in wanting to find an answer I will step back for now, spent less time online reaching out and turning my attention to the ‘real world’, looking for deeper connections and a more natural flow. Holding space for seasonal offerings, mobile massage for many less than before, Summer Festivals will take my focus.

Hoping to see you in the real world more – I’ll be posting blogs and writing more about art and the science of living a spiritual life – encouraging connection to the deeper awareness of what it is to live a human life

Training our spirits

A lot is spoken about ‘spirit’ these days. Many people have a ‘faith’, following a religious doctrine, have practices that bring them into a state of wider awareness of a philosophy for life. And many more may well be wanting to explore these realms and not know where to start. Resisting involvement, standing on the sidelines, wanting to join in but just not sure who to trust.

My advice is to start by sitting. Just that. Become aware of all of you first before you venture forward. Once you can ‘read’ your own sense of vitality, then your body will inform, will give you indications on a visceral level as to whether it sits well for you, whatever ‘it’ is.

Rudolf Steiner spoke of having an awareness to ourselves through his practice of ‘Spiritual Science’ called Anthroposophy. From the Greek “anthropos, ”meaning man , and sophia, ”meaning wisdom. Rudolf Steiner said anthroposophy should mean awareness of one’s humanity.

” during occult training, the feeling of hate must disappear in us, otherwise it reappears as a feeling of fear; for fear is suppressed hate. We must transform the hate into a feeling of love, the love of wisdom.”

Source: Rudolf Steiner – GA 266 –

From the Contents of Esoteric Classes – Kassel, 26th February 1909

And may that wisdom start with knowing yourself more, from making time to just sit quietly, no words, no mantras, not even a specific posture, you could even lie down. It’s your practice, make it your own and explore how it feels before venturing forth. Be your own authority on you for now.

Swear Away

For years I couldn’t get on with affirmations, even mantras, sayings that people were instructing me to use at some point of my life to better myself, bring wealth or some other kind of desire.

Then the moment of clarity. Someone showed me the way. ‘…then write your own’.

And when you do they have more resonance, can be more effective and you can even have sweary words in – you don’t find that in the stream of endless best selling ‘self help’ rewrites now do you….or do you?

I must admit I love a good swearing session, really helps me vent my spleen, and that’s the point after all. Affirming a way forward, a desire, putting it out there you stand for something, and why not have a the odd F and B here and there. One of my favourite sayings is ‘It either means something or it’s a load of bollocks’ when it comes to ‘new age wisdom’. Well most likely, revisited and misquoted, taken out of context and held up as the authority on a subject.

Be your own author I say, make them as a f**king unfluffy as you like and please, send them to me, i’d love to hear them and how much more powerful they are in helping you.

Everything happens suddenly

One minute changes to another. There can be slow declines, you could see how it emerged with hindsight, but the sudden impact of change is just that, sudden.

sudden

ˈsʌd(ə)n

adjective 

occurring or done quickly and unexpectedly or without warning. 

And nothing prepares for the shock, the trauma, and the reason is so that the change it creates can be felt, logged, recognised, to be drawn on in time.

My focus as a health practitioner is around the vitality of the mind and body to weather the storms of human existence, the heightened emotions and to mitigate the potential body shock manifestations into illness.

When you next experience something ‘all of a sudden’ I challenge you to be very present as to how your body is reacting, what you are feeling and if you can sense that resonance within as is without. Drop the external drama and digest the truth of awareness from within. 

+++ I welcome your comments, likes and shares +++ if this has resonated pass it on and say why +++

Informed Practice

As many of you have experienced, there is something profound taking place in our sessions and a lot of clients are reporting how different their treatment with me was. 

By way of example, I asked a client recently to came for ‘healing’ – no movement with massage techniques, not even reflexology – a session in which to help me understand if through:

– the use of guided relaxation

– bringing awareness to breathing 

– plus holding at the ankles 

whether this would be effective for his condition.

His response was:

“I think a major difference between my own breathing practice and my session with you is that with you I was held. 

I think that is significant.”

I am working on how to better promote my practice and increase my customer base. Please can I ask for your support in helping me to do this well.

Numerous clients are telling me ‘that was more than massage’ and to help me capture what that means, please can I ask you

1. Why did you choose me? What led you to make that decision? Had you compared me to others? And if so, how come I won!

2. Do you experience anything different/special/unusual in your treatments from me that you could describe and be willing to share? Can you help me to understand what specifically you take away from your treatment(s) with me?

3. If you were going to recommend a friend, what exactly would you say about me and my treatments?

Thank you so much for your reply and support. This will inform how I promote myself going forward.

Photo credit: Ginny Koppenhol (https://www.gkoppenholphotography.com/aboutme)

Re-Flourish

The day I decided to renew my vowels was the day before the full moon at Yule 2021.

It was a gloomy day in Grange over Sands yet on looking up, through the wispy clouds I could see blue sky. It was one of those days approaching Yule that is murky, inviting us to go within, the spiralling down of the year.

I could sense the up cycle already, in the change that is coming, new opportunities and new ways of being. The writing has been on the wall for a while, new owners and a few lockdowns later, the inevitable is happening. I will no longer be at Grange Hotel, working my clinic for visitors and local residents. Gone will be a space, fostered over 6 years, a place for healing, holding space for welfare and wellbeing. Yet around all this I have choice, the choice to embrace and enliven all of my senses in order to move forward.

Yet I am aware in order to re-flourish I need to replenish, to take time to assess and adjust. Many years I have drawn on my inner resolve, intuition was telling me to stay. I am very proud of how I have been able to help all of those people I have seen over the years, to hold space for healing, for helping at the time of need or just as an in between time as a special treat. 

Where next will I find myself I will find out in due course and for now on this day of the first full moon of a new year, remembering Solstice 2021 I will relish all the sense I need to return in 2022 in vibrant and glorious replenishment.

And the vow that I will continue to re-enforce is that to be the practitioner I know I am and want to be. Many who have been to see me realise I am not a beauty therapist, a physio or your standard spa therapist, in using a combination of techniques enables me to hold space in other ways. 

My vow is to continue, wherever and whenever I’m needed