Trips away are a joy for me. I love an adventure and conferences seem a sure way to have one; presentations, new ideas and some social time. A perfect mix with a different flavour to the usual way I may refresh myself out and about in the hills. I have always loved Wellington too, where I lived and studied massage therapy some 10 years ago.
We had presenters from Australia and New Zealand speaking about a range of topics: plantar fasciitis, crohn's disease, greater trochanter bursitis, endometriosis, bell's palsy were just a few. I didn't attend the AGM this time..after some years on the executive board for Massage New Zealand I am still having a break politically, inevitable I will return.
I met with my musician friend Hannah Howes (www.hannahhowes.com), a beautiful, creative, inspiring and talented creature while being one of my oldest friends. A blessing to be with and hear of her adventures as an art technician, travelling to Japan and now to tell me she is off to Vanuatu! I danced and played into the night with my acupuncture peers - more so than any of us thought to, we were just having so much fun!
These connections in the cool of winter are so vital. While all the energy within us conserves, we need the fire of connection to keep us warm. This is symbolised in Chinese Medicine as the 'Fire within the Water', the connection within the silence. This brings warmth and life to the wisdom and reflection of the darker months. Winter is the element of Water, the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder. It is a time to conserve Qi, storing it for the spring, for new growth.. As these cycles happen in nature, they happen within us.
I danced and played into the night, met with friends old and new, gathered knowledge and wisdom, spent a day reading in bed and felt a deep sense of contentment. Natural rhythm, natural harmony.
