After having taken a long break over the winter solstice and Xmas holidays, I am slowly weaving my way back into the world with some ruminations and reflections that I have pondered about during that time.

One subject that has been especially occupying my thoughts are the planning of a new 'pilgrimage' - I have already done two and they were both along the courses of rivers, one was the Thames which I walked with a friend and then my birth river called the Trave along which I canoed.

As there are a lot of endings in my life right now - divorce of my marriage and long partnership, restructure of our family set up, moving from the home we have been in for the last 5 years, and my medical herbalist studies coming to a conclusion - and new beginnings in the air like stepping into menopause, new home, new life stage, I am starting to feel the urge to go.

To mark this transition in a very conscious way. And take time out to connect with the land.

However, this time I have not got a clear vision where this pilgrimage should take place.

I also ponder about our disconnection in the modern world and in the UK of gathering for ritual and marking seasonal changes collectively after travelling to Stonehenge with my daughter at winter solstice this year.

People, ideas, links and podcast mentioned in this episode are:

Rupert Sheldrake and his book 'The Science Delusion' https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018nsjk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0l_DWjMXqU

Joshua Schrei and The Emerald podcast, especially the episode about 'How trance shaped the world' (but they are all good :) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-trance-states-shape-the-world/id1465445746?i=1000512752303

Astrologer Chani Nicholas and her book 'You were born for this' and her app that I use (she fuses social justice consciousness with internal family systems and other healing modalities with astrology, into wonderful grounded guidance with huge understanding or even wisdom one might say ;) https://chaninicholas.com

And here the chronicle of my pilgrimages along the river courses of the Thames and Trave (on blogspot, long before square space and all the wonderfull internet tools now available ;)) http://honouryourriver.blogspot.com/p/walk.html

A wonderful New Year to you!