And it’s so easy to look back to some moments and wonder about the decisions made or made for us (by the Universe). Sometimes it’s impossible to get out of that headspace of dreaming and recreating a different past.

This is a photo of a sliding door moment, 4 years ago, in which I found myself on a rooftop in Glebe after a chance meeting on a Sydney train.

The door I walked through (much to my distress at the time) took me across all the oceans to 23 countries. I sailed through icebergs and fjords and with Dolphins. I learned Japanese and most importantly met beautiful, kind and inspiring people who I will forever cherish.

Recently for various reasons I have found myself back to that rooftop moment wondering and thinking…..and last night my thoughts left me with a very restless sleep.

But as I write this post – more as a way to understand than anything else – the ‘What If?’ doesn’t matter anymore. It’s the people I have been so so fortunate to meet as a result of the ‘other door’ and the love, the pain, the stories and the dreams that I have shared with them that matter more than anything else. I have always known this – but recently the ‘drama’ of life has made me forget.

No amount of ‘thanks’ to the Universe is enough.

Here is what is currently on my book shelf (all gathered in the last three months):  The Name of the Wind – The Midnight Circus – The Lies of Locke Lamora - A Game of Thrones.

Next in line to be read: A Clash of Kings – Rivers of London.

Exhibition Launch Tuesday 17 January, 2012
6:30pm for 7pm at Pine Street Gallery, 64 Pine Street, Chippendale, Sydney
On display at Pine Street Gallery until 28 January, followed by a national tour

To be opened by:
Penny Phillips and Bunny Nabarula, Muckaty Traditional Owners (NT)
Professor Larissa Behrendt, Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning UTS and;
Senthorun Raj, NSW Branch President Amnesty International Australia

RSVP by Friday January 13: Natalie Wasley,  0429 900 774, natwasley@gmail.com

Manuwangku, Under the Nuclear Cloud

Photographs by Jagath Dheerasekara, Curated by Sandy Edwards

—Ben Okri, Astonishing the Gods

Recently I watched two (on recommendation) and well…I am definitely missing out! When did Bollywood get so awesome (potentially)!

If there is one Tamil movie you ever watch – please let it be Raavanan. The cinematography is breathtaking. The story line powerful.

I have been trying to find Raavanan with English subtitles – but have not had much luck. If I find it will post it up.

The other movie is only for the RomCom lovers – Vaaranam Aayiram.

Here is one of the more famous scenes. Make sure u get to the song right at the end. I watched the whole movie with English subtitles on YouTube.

So if you know or have your own version – please send my way.

Most of the time this baggage seems to be from breakups but there is also baggage from within – perceptions of failure and/or fear of the future etc – and parent baggage.

Within our immediate friends we identified 3 potentially awesome relationships that ended (even before they started) in the last 3 months  because of  ’baggage’. Interestingly all 3 women had gone through their fair share of ‘crap’, had worked through their pain and had grown stronger. The male side of the equation seemed to be struggling.

Is this pattern more than just coincidence? Are women able to heal better than men?

Anyway here is a healing technique that I was recently taught to ‘release’ emotions, people, thoughts etc.  Each time I have felt an energetic shift straight away. Offcourse this shift could all be in my head – but who cares – I felt freer and lighter.

So if there is some heavy energy, feelings, sadness, loss, guilt within yourself or towards someone, and you want to clear it (yes do it!) – try this out and be open.

Find a quite spot and sit down with blank papers and a pen. For each person/ incident/feeling that you want to ‘release’ start writing with detailed honesty to that person or to yourself. Write down everything that you have ever wanted to say. No one but you will ever read this so you can be completely and painfully honest.  Give yourself a bit of time to do this and get everything you want to release onto the paper.

When you have finished writing, find a safe spot in which you can light a fire and then burn all your pages. Do not keep it with you.

I have seen different blogs write about the symbolism of ‘burning’ healing letters and for each person the experience will be different.

For me – it is a way of releasing my ‘baggage’ into the universe and growing stronger.

This month on ‘Putting the Sacred back into Food’  - we are featuring  the Pomegranate.

According to one blogger: the Pomegranate appears often in symbolism and mythology. Because this fruit contains an enormous amount of seeds, it is regarded as a symbol of fertility, prosperity, abundance and generosity.

Living Touch talks about it’s religious symbolism:  The ancient Persians believed that Eve was tempted with a pomegranate in the Garden of Eden, and in Persian mythology Isfandiyar eats a pomegranate and becomes invincible. In Hebrew tradition, the pomegranate was said to have 613 seeds representing the 613 commandments of the Torah, and the fruit was used to decorate the Torah and its coverings. The ancient Greeks knew pomegranate as the fruit of the dead and in Greek mythology, Hades offered a seed of the fruit to Persephone who took it because she thought it looked like a jewel and thus condemned herself to spend some time with Hades in the underworld every year. The Prophet Mohammed is said to have encouraged his followers to eat the fruit to purge envy and hatred. In China the fruit symbolized longevity, and in the mythology of ancient Babylonia, pomegranate was believed to be an agent of resurrection.

From Biddy Tarot:  … The Empress shows a deep connection with our femininity. Femininity translates in many ways – beauty, sensuality, fertility, creative expression, nurturing – and is necessary in creating balance in both men and women. The Empress calls on you to connect with your feminine energy. Create beauty in your life.

… On a metaphorical level, the Empress may represent the birth of a new idea, a product, or a new way of being.

… The Empress indicates that the Universal energy is about to intervene in your life. It may be just enough to give you a glimpse of a miracle or it may be even more. You may or may not know whom or what brings such good fortune but the care and nurturing that will result come as no accident. What appears to be coincidental good luck may actually be the result of a series of good choices you have made. It is your turn to have things work out in your favour, to be blessed and to feel nurtured. Know that you are worthy of receiving this loving embrace.

From Rachel Pollack’s ’78 Degrees of Wisdom’: …In readings the Empress represents a time of passion, a period when we approach life through feelings and pleasure rather than thought.

…The High Priestess represented the mental side of the female archetype: her deep intuitive understanding. The Empress is pure emotion.