It's February already and I have been in Somerset now for six months. The Spring is feeling more evident and I have been out with my family exploring the local landscape. There is so much to see here being newcomers.
I live in a small village just outside Glastonbury which is very similar in many ways to the village we used to live in West Yorkshire. Lots of similar peat moors although marshier and more open here.

What is really fascinating is the large mounds that appear on the flat lands - the mumps or beacons or tors. I am learning a lot about the sacred energy lines running through and around Glastonbury and where they lead to.

I have been meeting people who have taught me about places in Spain and Portugal that are connected through these lines and the pilgrims walks and ways along them.

I am looking forward to our first summer here and being outside more. Lots of ideas for workshops and co-creating with other people too.

I am excited about days on the beach and visiting castles - so many things to discover and explore.

Now is the time of dreams and the year stretching out ahead. What amazing people are we going to meet this year, where will we go that we haven't been before? Magical. Hope you are feeling excited too.

It's been a while as I have been a busy bee visiting Glastonbury quite alot . Thanks to my good friend Martin I now have a new blog site on posterous.com - check it out http://barefootjo.posterous.com

Having spent the last few days on my allotment I am feeling the burn - digging and bending takes it's toll....

I love being on there and it balances out my energy as doing alot of therapy can leave you feeling ungrounded. I love being in nature and seeing the birds and the plants - pure magic.

My allotment is huge - like a big garden really, with lots of different rooms. Everytime I'm there I see reminders of past projects and realise how things created quite a while ago have now bloomed. I know that in today's busy  worlds, we all want instant creations, however nature has it's own rythmn and it's own timing. All the cliches are there - what we sow we reap - also what other people sow we reap too and how frustrating that can be.

It reminds me of the connectedness of everything. In Marsden the sheep roaming are legendary and are often killed by drivers on the moor. They wind their way into the village - and my tulips.. I have spent alot of time trying to keep them out but they have an appetite for the sublime. One farmer affects so many lives by letting his sheep roam free and many sensitive souls run the road to Lancashire trying not to see the creatures that have died. How true is this of other things that affect us?

Growing your own veg is labour intensive and unless you grow alot not cost effective - however the rewards are huge. The plants you grow taste so much better and you can feel connected to the land in a way that does not happen at your local superstore. Wouldn't it be great if we could all create our community like that ? - however I guess most people would rather spend their time in pursuit of other activities.. they would see this as a return to the cave-dweller maybe. There could be a middle ground.We have spent years creating lifestyles that please the ego and create "stuff" to give us external value and happiness.

Recycle is an amazing resource too that I have recently discovered and I sourced my greenhouse from ebay. Allotments have always been about using things in this way. I love the new beauty that comes from using something in a different way and giving it a reframe as in therapy - changing the way you use it or look at it. Nature grows so quickly and with abundance - hard to keep up with the weeds and grass - what gratitude for the way that a plant will keep going no matter how manty times you cut it back - a metaphor for the spirit.

Recommended book of the month: The Secret Life of Plants by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Lots of workshops coming up: Just started a new venue for Lifegroup and will be bringing new ideas for you to enjoy such as Everyday Zen and Working with your patterns. There's Quantum Touch this weekend and Clowning in July - off to the Goddess Festival in Glastonbury in July too. Hope you are enjoying your summer wherever you are.

This is my first blog for my own web page. I have started the new year blogging for several sites - from nothing to lots of blogs. This has been revealing for me in terms of my patterns. I often do lots of things at once and I feel this is true for many women, especially mothers and fathers who are the main carer. I have been blogging as a holistic therapist for a support site for people recovering from addictions - wired in.I am also on an online community about all things holistic - holistic local. I have been on a 30 day challenge - coaching from spirit based in the USA and have started a year long coaching programme with relationship coaches Paul and Layne Cutright - all inspiring stuff . They will all be contributing to my blog material.

Being a parent often means multi-tasking and an inability to finish the task at hand because of time constraints ( children's naps come to an end/school's out) . Waking up with great intentions for the day only to find that your energy has gone by early afternoon after countless interruptions and totally losing your line of thought. Sensitivity to others needs is a wonderful thing and can impact on your life and needs if you fail to recognise this pattern continuing. It can cause havoc long after the initial need for it has ebbed. Of course life often means doing several things simultaneously or choosing havoc while you single-mindedly pursue one . How to find a middle ground?

Being an energy worker and learning about different aspects of energy has given a realisation that different energies give different outcomes - sometimes we need masculine energy - linear, focused and singular. If we want to create something quickly in a controlled manner this is a great format. If we are open to lots of different energies and worlds we can use feminine energy - like a butterfly visiting lots of different plants. Our energy is scattered and creative - however often this is a wonderful energy format to use if we are at the beginning of a new project or change of direction. It allows us to see many different angles and ideas - if we try and use it over a long time it drains our energy as our mind is having to reconfigure to different models and templates - like having lots of tabs open on the computer. Ideally we need to become aware and notice our behaviour and balance it out - using both masculine and feminine energy format's.

Snow has well and truly set up camp in Marsden and different people have different attitudes around it's presence. It has been here for so much longer than we have had in many years and has cut off many people from their usual activities. The only thing we can control around snow is how we feel about it's enforced change - do we go with the flow or resist it and start blaming others for not dealing with it? Which pattern comes up for you?