Cycling the Caldera

Over the long weekend, I had the pleasure of riding through the Heart of the Wollumbin Caldera, with Paul Nichols, a Brother from Another Mother ...

who is also on an 'Adventure For Sustainability'.

Paul is riding around Australia to raise awareness of our responsibility to create a sustainable society, one that we can be proud to pass on to our children and their children's children. He left Melbourne in February, and has now traveled half way up the east coast.

We met up on Thursday afternoon and planted some trees down at the nature reserve in Town. The next morning, Paul & Paul left Kyogle to ride up into the majestic Border Ranges National Park, on the western edge of the Wollumbin Caldera.

From 80 meters above sea level to almost 1100 meters in the Mountains, this is one of the most challenging rides in Northern NSW, yet worth every moment, for the sensual experience of being in an ancient rainforest community, and one of the most spectacular sunrise lookouts on the eastcoast of Australia.

~ Pain and Pleasure ~

It certainly was demanding to keep pace with Paul, a tour-hardened southerner who had experienced similar gradients in the Snowy Mountains only a few weeks prior.

Our first stop was at Sheepstation, were I had a refreshing swim under 'Brush Box Falls' and Paul got to climb a massive Strangler Fig and witness the multitude of lifeforms manifesting.

From there it was a steep upwards gradient to 'Forest Tops' and down into 'Brindle Creek', where Sub-Tropical meets Warm-temperate Rainforest in what has to be one of the most beautiful wilderness areas on planet Earth.


We made ourselves some lunch and took rest for a couple of hours to the sound of spring-fed water dripple-carving it's way through the basalt Caldera.



For a moment there, I was in a place outside of time. I lay on my back and practiced some of Shakti's tense and relax yogic deep breathing exercises. The intense physical activity of the morning session left me absolutely bugger'ed...

simply lying on my back and being* felt like pure bliss.

I drifted off, as my body lay on the cool pebbled Earth, and awoke to a feeling of regeneration and inner restoration ...

ahhh, the serenity

At around 4p.m we were back on the road towards Black Butt lookout, on the Caldera rim.

Paul discovered the reason why it's called a Rainforest, a rainbow gave birth to a soaking downpour, which left a dense cloud of mist throughout the forest. We were up high in the mountains by this stage, amongst the ancient Antarctic Beech cool-temperate rainforest.

After 10 hours riding, the sun was beginning to leave us, and almost on cue, the pin on my trailer broke off ! I took a deep breath and settled my energy, as Paul was ahead of me. With the head torch, I managed to find the missing quick-release pin, but my hydraulic disc breaks were oozing with some foreign substance.

oh the challenges.

Luckily Paul came back just as the last rays of light were piercing through the densely forested canopy, he towed my trailer and I slowly rode the bike the next 1km to Camp.

The Full moon would appear through the mist and then disappear just as quickly. It is a whole 'nother world up there. Reminds me of "The Land before Time".

We cooked dinner and Paul shared with me many of his practical touring tips and general life ethos.

eventually fatique overcame me, So I set up the tent, hopped in ... and went to Sleep.

Sleep felt so good, soothing resting earth snuggles.

Ü

Sunrise was really quite amazing, at 1100m above sea level, and a view over 50km from where the mostly easterly point on the Australian mainland reaches the Pacific Ocean, 'Black Butt' lookout is indeed sacred land.

Above the clouds, straddling an ancient landscape, watching it all happen.

We took in the view and witnessed the ever-changing dynamics of light, temperature and feelings.

One last climb and our hard work was blessed with another reward, a downhil stint that lasted half an hour. The changing veg types were our only indication of altitude under the canopy, but eventually we made our way out of the park and into the valleys below, Barkersvale and then down into Uki, the little village beneath Wollumbin (Mt Warning).

And so the adventures of Paul and Paul came to an end, as Brother Paul continued north for the Border and I turned south-east and entered Mt Jerusalem National Park, which eventually led me to the magical upper main-arm area of Mullumbimby, where I lived for a short while a couple of years ago.

This section brought back memories from the past, which held a variety of different feeelings and emotions, as I continued to ride towards the ocean in the ever-unfolding passage of space and time.

Cycling into Byron was an incredibly surreal experience, as the Blues Festival was on and I wasn't quite prepared for the intensity of it all, after cycling through the ancient volcanic landscape, listening to the sound of birds, wind and water.

T'was a pleasure to catch up with friends and reconnect with the town I once called home, But as the Sun Sat, my feeling was to head for the hinterland and take rest amongst family.

Oceana offered to give me a lift in Bunny's Van, which I gratefully accepted, and we drove Inland for Nashua, just past Bangalow.

Talking, as we do, of Life the Universe and Everything. A sharing of feelings and emotions, dreams and aspirations, and all our illusions that hold us back from creating that which we truly Love.

I Love you Oceana.

Good friends stoke the fire inside our hearts.

As the moon rose for the evening, Oce' dropped me at my Sister's place, where I was bathed and fed, and supplied cream for my sore bum, by the Forsyth family; Lachlan ~ Bree and the magical little sprite, Torin.

Bree and Torin

A truly splendid way to end another 'shake-down training-tour'. Spending time with my family feels so nice, and a rare gift to share with my Sweet Sprite Sister Sarah, from Melbourne. Special times indeedy ~

As you may tell from the photo's, little 14 month old Torin is a common focal point amongst us.

Lachlan and Torin (Father and Sun)

Aunty Sarah Daley and Torin Forsyth.

I will miss the company of my Friends and Family when I head north, in little over a month.

I'm feeling now is the moment to stretch the imagination, expand the mind and open the heart

to the infinite possibilities of life.

mmmm, gratitude ~ to be alive in this space and time, so blessed ...

~ indeed, sometimes i forget.

*cue the beat-box and bring forth the ozzy hip-hop*

let us all remember, each of us is a member ~ of the Earth Family.

one tribe, sharing, one common unity ~

community

you and me

breath the same air

it's THIS life

we All Share

*Beat-Box fades to the sounds of celtic gypsy music*

Consciousness

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”

~ Buddha

This weekend I partook in a 'Bicycle Maintenance Course'.

Wonderful ~ Informative ~ Encouraging

I Love bikes more than ever now, such an incredibly functional design.

Was great to meet some more bicycle freaks, some who have also sold the fossil-fuel machine and are living primarily "Car-Free".

During the Workshop I Heard about a screening of a movie called "Zeitgeist" (meaning 'Spirit of the Ages'), which was playing upstairs at the Windsome. The Documentary was also being screened in over 1600 locations around the planet, to synchronize with Zeitgeist Day.

absolute eye-opener

To give you a gist of the Movie, check out this flyer or visit the website

http://zeitgeistmovie.com/

"a new consciousness is developing which sees the earth as a single organism, and recognizes that an organism, at war with itself .. is doomed"



After the movie we created a sharing circle, discussing feelings and thoughts on the how we perceived the themes of the doco' and what affect this had on our consciousness.

The film was designed to be confronting, and indeed it was. Throughout history, there has been so much war and environmental destruction being manipulated by the controlling 'elite'. Millions of people have been killed or oppressed in the name of power and greed.

as Jimi Hendrix says..

"When the power of LOVE
overcomes the love of POWER
the world will know peace"

This is the kind of information that challenges your world-view and makes you think about why things are the way they are..

For instance, why are there 800 million people starving on our planet, and yet some people have billion-dollar bank accounts.

♣

... on the way home, with the moon half-full, I was thinking about the "Shift in Consciousness" we are going through right now.

from an Industrialized Growth Society, to a Life-Sustaining Global Community...

I don't feel I have fully understood what this means, how absolutely momentous this 'transition' period is.

There are moments when I feel truly connected, to everything, the stars, the moon, the sun, the rivers, the birds and all of life. In these moments I realize there is a dynamic relationship between a world-wide network of energy that is working towards the creation of true, heart-based, systemic changes on our mother Earth.

... These feelings are an expression of an underlying LOVE that we are all apart of each other, one global community, all interconnected aspects of the same consciousness.

There is NO separation

we are all ONE consciousness

experiencing itself subjectively

And than, from time to time, there are also moments when I doubt the process, when i experience a lack of trust in the great flow, in the ability of humanity to wake up "in time". By creating future based projections that we could ruin one of the most majestic, life-sustaining planets in the entire universe.

... These feelings are an expression of a FEAR that I am separate from the creative forces in the universes. Experiencing the illusion that my actions don't make a difference and that I am not at cause, but at effect.

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

As a healer once said "the only thing we need to heal in ourselves, is the illusion of separation"

L O V E or F E A R

In this moment NOW, I feel an underlying trust that everything is going to be OK, that EVERYTHING is pervaded by an infinite and immeasurable spaciousness, and despite the risk of a global ecological collapse, if we just observe the bigger picture, we find each of us are, with the power of our hearts and minds, becoming conscious co-creators of the world we live in.

An awareness is growing stronger, that every day, we are coming closer to reaching a critical mass of consciousness, a 'Tipping Point'.

The ways of separation and competition are giving way to unity and co-operation ~

Despite the challenges we all face, both personally and globally, this life is an amazing GIFT and we can honor this present by being present and grateful for our most simple blessings, the abundance of water and food we experience in Australia, the SUN rising every day to bring light to this world, and the innate goodness that every human being IS, underneath all the surface ego.

The little clip below contain 20 keys to conscious creation

Facing the Mass Extinction

This short 10 minute clip, on 'Facing the Mass Extinction', has me pondering the emotional processes underlying our transition to a sustainable global community.

What is it that blocks the flow of energy we need to create real and everlasting change on this living planet Earth we are all natives on...

LOVE or FEAR ?

the answer is obviously FEAR, as LOVING energy flows and FEARFUL energy blocks this flow.

you Know ? gO WiTh the FlOw ? : )

I feel the very first step of empowerment in dealing with the current social, ecological and spiritual crisis is to acknowledge the current situation, without getting to overwhelmed by fear-based future scenarios.

Quite simply, we need to accept that right NOW, our lifestyle is ...

NOT sustainable.

So Breath Deep, stay present, and direct your energy from the ever-present and eternal

NOW-moment.

Whether it's grounded in reality, or a complete ego-fabrication, our human minds are prone to projected future fears.

Smell a flower, pour some water over your head or just lie on your back and take a deep breath, acknowledge whatever feelings arise, observe and BE aware...

If we continue polluting the atmosphere, and consuming products that degrade the environment, then future generations, our very own children, will inherit a dysfunctional Earth-system.

Simply by recognizing that our 'way of life' is literally diminishing the ability of future generations to meet their most simple requirements, we allow space for conscious CHANGE.

Am I apart of the PROBLEM or apart of the SOLUTION ?

What are the underlying belief systems and values that have initiated what scientists are calling 'The 6th Major Extinction'.

What has led humanity to this ecological tipping point ?

The way i see it, there has never been a moment in the evolution of life, when the species 'Homo sapien' all-of-a-sudden became 'Seperate' from nature. Being warm blooded mammals, human beings undergo the same journey as all other life-forms, life and death, we are an interdependent aspect of the biosphere, the whole circle of life.

Throughout the course of history, there did arise the illusion that humankind was somehow 'higher' than nature, that the natural systems which support all life were simply there for our exploitation.

With this anthropocentric world-view, one single species could potentially cause half or more of the Earths estimated 10 million species to become extinct, in the blink of an eye, a mere 100 years out of a 3.8 billion year old evolutionary journey.

Lets face it, this is a surreal thought, and not one that the average person wants to confront, nor overly project.

Our society has specialized in escaping from the ecological limits to economic growth.

yet as a bumper sticker i saw recently said ...

"There is only ONE EARTH; ignore it and she will go away"

I believe we need to face this reality, collectivelly and constructively, whilst working towards being conscious co-creators of a future that will allow our children to inherit a magical planet, just like we have.

What I would love to manifest is for someone out there with the technical know-how to help put together a 'presentation' for youth across Australia, that will educate and inspire ecological awareness by informing tomorrows leaders of the systemic problems we must collectively engage with, and also explore the creative implementation of solutions.

The actions we take DO make a difference, and DO influence a very real and dynamic 'tipping point' of consciousness that is growing stronger every day, with every tree that is planted, every car that is not-brought and every bag of local produce we eat.

the big question i ask myself is, "How do we overcome Fear, Ignorace, Inertia and Dispair" which I believe are the only obstacles to creating conscious change.

With LOVE of course....

~ Love of LIFE, the UNIVERSE and EVERYTHING ~

The FLAMINGO Story

An ecologist studying flamingos on Kenya ’s Lake Nakuru has noticed an interesting phenomenon. Every year, when the time comes for migration, a few flamingos start the process by taking off from the lake. Since none of the others take any notice, they soon turn round and come back.

The next day they try again. This time a few others straggle along with them but, again, the vast majority just carry on with business as usual, so the pioneers return to the lake. This trend continues for a few days. Each time a few more birds join in but, since the thousands of others still take no notice, the migration plan is aborted.

Finally, one day, the same few birds take off again. This time however, the tiny increment to their number - maybe just one extra flamingo - is enough to tip the balance. The whole flock takes flight. The migration begins.

If we apply this concept to our current predicament, it gives rise to an immediate sense of empowerment. Rather than dismissing a small action - ‘what difference will it make?’ - or the role of the individual - ‘what can I do about it?’ - we see that change is actually always propelled by the individual, or that a small action can be an instrumental part of the significant changes that arise through complex processes.

Seen from that perspective, we are the ones with the power - the power to cast ripples into the pond and become active nodes within a global network; the power to make positive change into a contagious impulse; the power to help build the sort of world we want for our children.