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Thresholds - drawing water from the forest well

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Are you ready to take a wee trip to Wombat Forest and to Hanging Rock country? Yesterday we journeyed into the forest to collect the healing natural mineral spring water from the Spa Country wells for new essences for the Red Tent Dreaming event next week. You can see all of the photos here.
I am about to immerse myself in water witching with the essences & will be charging them up under the full moon. A deep well of love for your Full Moon creations this weekend x

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A Swan Blessing Remembering

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I have begun receiving recollections and stories from those who have experienced The Swan Blessing for our book: The Swan Blessing - Releasing the Ties That Bind. They are so very potent and beautiful. Here is Jane's memory of her journey with the Swan. 


I saw her, old, long scraggly hair, wrapped in tanned animal hide for protection, by the river, in the forest, alone, very alone, sad, resigned, quiet.She'd been banished from the village, or maybe she'd run away and been hiding, either way it was because she'd been found out or would have been and that meant she'd had to leave or die.  

I saw her, young, she was writing furiously, long feather quill, hiding somewhere in a corner of the attic of the dwelling, in the dark, a lone taper burning. She was scared, fearful of being seen, yet she wrote and she wrote, pausing only to hear more to write.The words were coming to her from others, words she couldn't see who spoke, yet the words came and she wrote them.The Grandmother who lived in her hut in the forest had told her that the voices and their words that she heard were important and that she must write them down and give them to her. She taught her to write and read and told her to keep it a secret, not to tell anyone and to keep on doing it.On the Grandmother's death bed, she made her promise, make a vow, to never let anyone else know about the words she heard and to not let anyone see her writing, otherwise she would be killed. She wrote and wrote and the words soothed her soul. She shared them with her mother and her sisters because the words spoke of a different way, a way where they would be honoured and respected, it was so different to how it was for them.... The vow she made to the Grandmother kept her scared, scared of being seen, scared of being found out and scared of what would happen should she be discovered and the vow kept the words secret, but the words wanted to be shared and read.....  

The vow she made stayed with her until another lifetime when she went to the Blacksmith's cottage and met a Witch who flew with Swan. The Witch helped her find a way to cut away the web that was the vow, that had stuck to her, that was stuck in and around and all over her. And Black Panther came then, to be with her, to protect her and guard her. She was safe now, the vow was released and the words could come freely and be shared.    

Jane, Sydney 2012

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Sacred Familiar Koala Sponsorship

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As many of you know, the koala is a sacred animal to Tony and I and we thank everyone who has helped us raise money for these beautiful creatures in the past. This little sweetie is Amanda a recently orphaned baby koala who is being cared for by the amazing Colleen Woods and her team of volunteers at The Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter. Amanda is available for immediate sponsorship - just $40 a year and 100% of every donation goes to the koala and it's care. We have visited Colleen many times over the years and we are always awed by her courage, determination and her huge heart that keeps giving despite facing some really horrible realities about the challenges koalas are dealing with in our modern world.

Tony and I will be visiting Colleen very soon to take up funds raised through donation at our drumming circle. If you would like to give a donation we will gladly take your assistance up to the Shelter. We have been told that they have named a koala Sacred Familiar! So you can be a vital part of this koala's care if you feel called.  You can also contact the Southern Ash Shelter at: southernash@live.com.au to find out how to sponsor Amanda or the many other koalas that arrive daily into Colleen's care. Colleen's intention and aim is to give the koalas a safe sanctuary to heal and recover so that they can be returned to the wild again.

The koala is a beautiful and unique Australian animal and they really need help from the us, the new humane guardians of the land.  Every dollar truly counts so if you can give, please get in touch,

Oceans of love, Julia & Tony

Colleen Woods and a beautiful koala now released back into the wild
Southern Ash on Facebook
Tony & Becker one of Sacred Familiar's sponsored koalas


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Kindling for your Fire - Night Flower the Life & Art of Vali Myers

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It's here - it's real!  
YES!!! The new book: Night Flower - the Life & Art of Vali Myers has been birthed at a beautiful launch and exhibition at Outre Gallery in Melbourne on the Eve of the Spring Equinox. Thank you to everyone who turned up to celebrate Vali and her extraordinary life & art, what a fantastic night and it even included a visit by the cops - Vali would have loved that, she would have disarmed them with her fox ways and invited them inside. The biggest hugs in the world for Nicole Karidis & Ruth Cullen of the Vali Myers Art Gallery Trust and Martin McIntosh & Gemma Jones of Outre Gallery & Publishing. Wow - it's really here. I remember the first day years ago when all of sat around my dining room table and the seed of this dream was born and to hold this luminous, golden dream of a book in my hand right now is so exciting. 
It was an honour to be asked to write the foreword for Night Flower, to express in words the magic & wisdom that Vali gifted to me during our friendship. This gift is a creative 'quickening' that is open and available to you all in this book and I encourage you to READ IT, SPEAK OF IT, SHARE IT and then let it inspire you to CREATE. Wild, flaming love to you Queen of Foxes and to you all - THE DREAM IS REAL. Julia xxxx.
Night Flower is available from Outre Gallery where you can also see for a limited time Vali's original drawings, personal diaries and talismans in a current exhibition. Go and see it!!!
Inside the Outre Hive before opening with 
Nicole Karidis & Ruth Cullen of the Vali Myers Trust
with Gemma Jones & Martin McIntosh from Outre in the background

Night Flower with Vali's personal diaries and talismans
Original painting: Queen of Thorns Vali Myers
Original painting: Stella Maris by Vali Myers
love you Vali 

Red Tent Dreaming

Scene from the Red Tent film: Things We Don't Talk About
Women's Voices from the Red Tent

Do YOU remember the Red Tent? I have dreamt of a lifetime where I was inside the ruby glow of the Red Tent, in my dream the energy felt like it was in Siberia, I remember it was a preparation time...  Recently I was invited by my beautiful sisters at The School of Shamanic Midwifery to speak on a panel at The Red Tent Dreaming event here in Melbourne on Saturday, 6th October 2012. I am honoured to be a part of this potent and deeply nourishing event and to share knowing of the deep bindings we have carried as women when we made past life promises to be hidden and to be silent. We not only carry the vows we have made but beliefs taken on around what it means to be pure or chaste, what is taboo...

I welcome this emergence of the The Red Tent back into our world at this time of innovation and change. We are on the threshold of the new world where we will honour the old ways in a new expression. The focus of The Red Tent Dreaming event will be on the film: Things We Don't Talk About - Women's Voices from the Red Tent and it will be a day of immersion into the Divine Feminine through dance and ritual and the power of the Feminine Voice. By remembering our pasts and sharing oral histories we can gain clarity about the reality we wish to create and then speak it into existence. I look forward to sharing this day with you all.

The Red Tent Dreaming events are happening all over Australia and you can read more about them here: link to Red Tent Dreaming page on FB 

What is a Red Tent?(from the School of Shamanic Midwifery)
The Red Tent has been, and in some places remains, an actual place. It may also be referred to by its Native American name - the Moonlodge.
In our modern western patriarchal culture it has almost disappeared in terms of its social acceptability; however it remains in our hearts and souls as the place we retreat to during our bleeding time.
In the old times before electricity and when we lived together as a community, the women all bled at the same time, the dark of the moon. They would retreat together to the Red Tent, and enjoy their bleeding time free of the chores and concerns of their lives. They usually spent 3 days away from their families, just with the other women. They would talk together, rest, dream, care for themselves and each other. It was a nurturing environment that they all loved and appreciated. Many of the women would have prophetic dreams during this time. The women would be blessed with a vision on their third day of bleeding and this would be shared with the whole community on their return. The community hugely valued and relied on these visions the women would return with and used them as instruction for direction and focus for the community.



"Things We Don’t Talk About: Woman’s Stories from the Red Tent is a ground breaking 72-minute documentary film by award winning filmmaker Isadora Gabrielle Leidenfrost, PhD. Spontaneous and organic, a Red Tent is a red textile space where women gather to rest, renew, and often share deep and powerful stories about their lives. The Red Tent movement is changing the way that women interact and support each other by providing a place that honors and celebrates women, and by enabling open conversations about the things that women don’t want to talk about in other venues. Things We Don’t Talk About weaves together healing narratives from inside the Red Tent to shine a spotlight on this vital, emergent women’s tradition. The film provides us an opportunity to remember, to listen, to know, and to find what it is we need to bring back to our communities to help awaken the voices of women."

Get your tickets here! 

link to Red Tent Movie: Things We Don't Talk About - Women's Voices from the Red Tent

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The Weekly Familiar - Kangaroo

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The Weekly Familiar - an Animal Message from Tony

This Week's Familiar is KANGAROO.

Kangaroo: The kangaroo has come through this week to show us how to let go of stress. We can often let stress build up in us over issues and events that aren't as important as we think they are. Here is an exercise taught to me by kangaroo: imagine a large kangaroo standing in front of you and focus on what you are feeling stressed about. Begin taking very deep breaths. With every exhale see the kangaroo in front of you growing larger and larger as you let the problem go. When the kangaroo has taken the feeling of stress from you it will turn and jump in enormous leaps - releasing the energy of the issue with every jump until it is completely clear. This is kangaroo's gift to you.

Be Wild!

Tony