Adelaide to Melbourne

I’ve spent the week at a Ministers place and her husband who is a Chaplain. They were Sandy and Geoff and generous allowing me to stay at their place at such short notice. They were very busy most of the time and when they were there they were chilling out watching t.v. So we didn’t get a good opportunity to exchange ideas about peace. I sent Geoff some of my poetry which was to do with peace and September 11, and suggested if he had any questions to ask me. He said he would decide if he wanted to ask questions. Poetry is very personal and people can interpret words differently without knowing the deeper feeling of the author. He didn’t mention the poetry so I have no idea his reaction to it. So I didn’t mention it. I felt inspired to give it and that is typically the way I am.

Sandy kindly offered to arrange a dinner at her Church for me to speak of my work. I went there and met some really lovely people. One guy Warren left an impression on me as his love and warmth was very evident. I felt he would make an excellent clown. Other parishoners were very warm and welcoming to me. I later spent some time with Ruth who is an artistic person involved in theatre and has clowned. We spoke of the arts and how it is not really centre stage in many organisations, yet both of us agreed it is the liberation of humanity. Ruth was really lovely and free and we talked about a lot of subjects. I was grateful to her for spending time with me and having a coffee. It meant a lot. So maybe one day I can return and clown with her and Warren and spread love and joy to people.

At the Church I stood up with a microphone and found myself speaking to two groups quite far apart. Usually the audience I speak to are sitting in front or close so I just spoke anyway trying to include everyone. Usually when I speak I just let myself flow without much thought about what I need to say. Usually I don’t prepare as I just feel to be myself. My journey has been so full-on there is much to share and always little time to convey the magic of this incredible life. I feel a deep gratitude for the experiences I have had and hopefully others can see they are capable of great things when they open their hearts and minds. The heart of course is the key. I call this heart based intelligence. It is not a compartment, it is feeling to think rather than thinking to feel. So I use my intellect but in service to the heart. As a poet and clown I am in the heart most of the time. I allow the heart to determine what I say and do and this is expanding in my life as I let go of the structure of the world that is analysis based. Heart based intelligence is not about emotions it is following a feeling which leads the words. However, it is common for me to feel tears as I speak, I feel I touch something important.

I believe the Egyptians had a heart based intelligence. In our society we are an intellectual society where we think it all through and feelings would support that. We tend to look for logic and intelligent argument to justify our viewpoints, I am shifting away from this and going more into intuition. I feel the change is in allow the irrational (not unstable, flights of fancy really), spontaneous and vulnerability to have the day. I also believe love is to let people see who you are. It gives them permission to be who they are without pretence. I see it as true intimacy, that is in-to-me-see. Allowing the true self to be seen. We drop our barriers, our roles and are masks as we say in the arts. Just be you. That is not easy in a world of ‘being seen to be’ responsible.

Sandy, the Minister was very generous to let me speak as I am not a Christian, yet she trusted me. Interestingly, when you step into the spiritual life there is considerable overlap with religions and spiritual traditions. So I did feel there was much I could share if they were open. I am pretty much coming from the heart. Have no idea if I am right or wrong, I just say what I feel reflects my truth and my experience. I showed my visual presentation of travelling around the world. Interestingly a third of the way through it just shut down the computer so I didn’t worry about it. I just spoke off the top about my experience. It seemed to be received positively.

My week in Adelaide was pretty much a rest stop as I felt deep exhaustion as I have been pretty much on the go since my world trip with a short break in Brisbane. I find the driving tiring but on the whole I feel deeply happy. I don’t really mind if people accept me or not, as it is becoming less important to me. I just feel to speak what is my contribution. I don’t mind if I am challenged, I don’t even feel precious about it, I could be wrong. The only thing I know is that my life and work is to learn and allow more love into my life, give more and allow people to be who they are. I am not here to change others, just express my uniqueness and be myself in integrity. I am bound to be misunderstood, as we all are, but that is fine, that is also normal in this world. Language is a poor carrier of true intent.

I typically was quiet at this couchsurfing place as the folks I stayed with seemed to need the quiet and I didn’t want to intrude. I would have dearly loved to have learned more but they were pretty tired and busy I felt. They seem to love what they do and I am happy for that. I did finally have a good conversation this morning with the Minister and conveyed my philosophy and experience. My journey around the world and this trip around Australia is inner work and I am letting go of attachments, approval and learning to not control life. I am learning to see everyone as part of this great mosaic called life, each one equal to the whole. I believe life is a great priviledge.

Anyway, after my conversation with Sandy and learning a little about her, which I was grateful she exchanged, I left feeling a connection which gave me a sense of joy. Unfortunately the husband didn’t say goodbye. I had felt unable to really know him as I was waiting for him to speak, again not wanting to intrude on his space. Again, had he more time perhaps we could have got to know each other. I am sure he had much valuable experience to share. We will never meet again probably. I see the preciousness of meeting people, they are all unique and every moment is special for me.

In Adelaide I put out the feelers for perhaps some short term work. I wanted to get my car fixed. However, nothing came in and I didn’t want to impose on anyone to stay longer than necessary. This is the reality of being on the road, you just keep moving. I don’t mind and am flexible and trust that life is sending me in the right direction.

I had a great dinner with a couch surfing person called Rita. She is a drama teacher at a school working with disadvantaged kids. She was doing plays on relationships and going through preparation, questions, fears, interacting and outcomes. So that kids could think through relationships. She told me she loved being a teacher and she loved the students. I felt a huge smile on my face listening to this lovely woman. She had taught for 20 years and when you see someone doing what they love, it carries with it huge benefits for kids. Anyway, I asked her what she had learned that was important and she said without hesitation ‘relationships’. It is all about relationships with the children. Getting to know them, some ask to hang out with her, another may see her looking sad and offer a hug, very supportive and loving. I really liked that. I told her my story and we enjoyed a nice exchange. She thought she may know someone who might have some budget for my work. So I will await for her to get back to me.

I had been planning to go to Perth but overnight I had the strongest feeling to go to Melbourne, I am only 726 kms from Melbourne and 2,500 from Perth. So my feeling was to go back to Melbourne, pick up my clown gear and clothes from a friends and take it to Canberra. I will then get the car checked over. My brother was a mechanic and I can get advice there. The car is running well but my feeling is to just check it over then do the run to Perth. I am doing a 3,000km detour, but my feeling is to go for it. My plans are flexible and these days I am following the feeling. So it will be interesting to see what comes out of this detour. My feeling is to stay in Perth a while and pick up work. I will also again approach rural schools and see what happens.

The countryside is beautiful and I was comparing it to the desert. I am on the coastal fringes and was noticing the pastoral land and farming emphasis. There is a lot of canola growing, bright yellow contrasting with the green lucerne and mountains. It looks unnatural of course and I just reflected as I drove about the natural landscape here. The gum trees are quite large and clustered in forests with dry grasses. I saw the Grampian mountains which were stunning. I have developed such a love of mountains since my trip overseas (Macchu picchu, Andes) and the MacDonnell ranges in Alice Springs. I have a real feeling for rocks now too, i have to laugh and say to people I have rocks in my head. I have collected quite a few from amazing places I visited as I sense a stronger connection to the planet. I have loved driving alone and just being free and loving this planet more and more.

I just had a sweet girl Grace come up and ask me what I was doing. She told me she writes in a diary and has not done it since last year, but she does like writing. She tells me her mum is having a baby and it is going to be a boy, they have named him already. She is happy about that. I loved her friendliness. This is Ballarat, a gold mining town, and a country town. So people are pretty carefree I am guessing.

I might just add in another thought whilst it is in my mind. Last night I didn’t sleep that well and got up and turned on the t.v. quietly to lateline business update. I was listening to the journalist interviewing some business executives. I noticed her questions were biased, I am an analyst and I can tell immediately when questions are biased. She had predetermined viewpoints which she was trying to get them to speak on but in sympathy with her concerns. I noticed she wasn’t well trained. They had an executive from Ericcson, and discussions about the European market. I marvelled at the compartmentalisation of business without ecology or the current economic situation across the planet. I know they have to keep up appearances, but you would think life is just business as usual. Even discussions about Rio Tinto and expanded mining interests never attracted a question regarding the environment or carbon tax or the futility of exploring more of these deposits given concerns across the planet. It just confirmed to me the lack of leadership in business and in many respects being locked into mindsets that just can’t imagine thnking through marketing and business within an ecological mindset. It just isn’t there. I wondered at the shock they will feel when it stops. I see the world in a different way these days and in many respects being isolated from the mainstream by going it alone has been advantageous as I am not conditioned by the current thinking anymore as I seldom watch news. I am thinking more and more for myself outside the box and freshly questioning and seeing with new eyes, I am very aware of earth changes. It is very present for me.

Anyway, it will all be good, no matter the outcomes. I am not concerned about where we are going. It will be positive, it is however interesting how our mindsets work and I am fascinated by business-as-usual.

So now I am in Ballarat 150km out of Melbourne. I am taking time as peak hour traffic is happening in Melbourne and usually it is gridlocked, so my feeling is to have dinner, do the blog and then head into Melbourne. I will stay with friends.

So Melbourne next stop…. hmmm it will be fun. I may even do some clowning. Woo hoo