Inspired Life

The Remover of Obstacles

~ Mumsgoneclimbing ~ Leave a comment

A few months ago I was lucky enough to take a trip to the Crystal Castle with my mum and aunty. For those of you who haven’t been it is a bit like a magical spiritual garden, located in the oh so magically spiritual Byron Bay hinterland. There is a beautiful gardens, giant buddhas, wandering monks and a deliciously delightful cafe.

Back to the point of this blog though. The last ooooo lets say 12 months have been challenging in places to say the least. It seems like everyone around me felt the brunt of 2011, I therefore assume a few of you can identify with what I am babbling on about. So when I was wandering around the little shops of the Crystal Castle staring at the many spiritual idols who stared right back at me, I began to be drawn to a inquisitive little fellow called Ganesh.

I will happily admit that I recognised the Elephant headed Hindu god as The Remover of Obstacles  not in small part to my, some may say sad, adoration of the ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ book and equivalent movie (please do not judge me). This particular statue had kind eyes and his head tilted just so as if to invite curiosity. So I decided to take Ganesh home for a little bit of help with the brick walls that I just kept running into, figuratively speaking and not like the one the broke my arm when I was five.

I smiled when the shop lady told me Ganesh was fantastic for children as she grinned at my pregnant belly, my intuition must have steered me right when I pick this little god. I placed Ganesh next to my bed and looked to him before I rested my head at night, yes life was going to run smoothly from now on.

Problem is the brick walls kept coming. Now I am not talking about fort knox sort of walls, less like brick in fact and more like ply wood. Little situations that needed attention here, there and everywhere. I would try to get organise and then a phone call or message would spiral life into uncertainty again. Planning would take place and then be broken down, happen again, then be broken down again, again, again. I would look to Ganesh, his inquisitive gaze and take a deep breath, reminding myself that these obstacles would be removed, and it was a some what comforting thought.

There came a time though when all these little ply walls were beginning to wear me down and I went in search of answers from the all powerful wiki (yes, I am aware this isn’t a completely reliable reference source).


He is popularly worshipped as a remover of obstacles, though traditionally he also places obstacles in the path of those who need to be checked. Paul Courtright says that  “his task in the divine scheme of things, his dharma, is to place and remove obstacles. It is his particular territory, the reason for his creation.”

Hmmmm I thought to myself. I had to laugh. This tricky little God, what is he trying to prove to me?

Life is not a smooth ride, those who tell you otherwise I fear may be deluding themselves. These walls I keep running into they are challenging, especially when I know the outcome I seek and recognise walls need to be broken to reach it. You know what though, I am breaking through. Life can take effort, a bit of elbow grease here and there. Ganesh highlighted my obstacles, YES, but he also highlighted my triumphs.

The lesson to be learnt is do not be scared when life does not deal you a perfect hand. You are the creator, do not be scared off by a few ply walls, or brick walls, or iron walls! The obstacles will be removed if you have the courage to move them.

Go to the wilderness and find some P’u

~ Mumsgoneclimbing ~ Leave a comment

It is a term I have borrowed from Susan Cain (more about her soon) but it has been at the centre of my own thoughts for a few weeks now. Go to the wilderness.

This semester my educational enlightenment is via the course Introduction to Environmental Management. Although this encompasses many fantastic tidbits of information (eg. if you stand on the equator the rotation of the earth means your moving at 16,000km per hour!!) we have been focusing quite a lot on environmental values. Maybe it is obvious that we are no longer living interwoven with nature and are therefore greatly unaware of our total dependency on natural resources. But what beliefs and values are driving us to destroy so much? Where do you sit in the scheme of things? Are you Anthropocentic seeing humans as the most important and valuable species? Are you Biocentric, believing nature and other organisms have just as much intrinsic value as humans? Do you believe technology will be able to rescue us from our environmental problems, are you a techno-optimist? Or maybe your more of a greenie and believe without major changes in lifestyle its a downward spiral to an apocalypse?

I consider myself as a Biocentric Techno-optimist Greenie. But hey its just a label and its all pretty complicated underneath. The element I believe our society is missing when it comes to connecting with nature is an understanding of value.

Two weeks ago I sat on a headland in Yuraygir National Park NSW and took a breath of natural wonder. Many of my good friends will attest to how insanely beautiful and rugged this place is. Deep red soil, cliffs of intricate rock formations, crashing salty waves, open shrub lands with limbs reaching away from the coastal winds. Its a place that grounds me, like many other natural places I have had the privilege to experience. Soon I will be a mum and as I sat there my soul warmed at the thought of sharing this place with my child. A place thats value can not be solely measured by science and economics, instead it has a “spiritual” value that is so hard to explain with the language we use.

My beautiful yoga teacher Georgie recently shared a great TED talk with the facebook community called The Power of Introverts. Susan Cain tells an amusing story of life as an introvert, and points out  in our society of big personalities half the population is being suppressed. She also challenges everyone to GO TO THE WILDERNESS. Be a sage, a seeker, a contemplator. Like we have done for many thousands of years go into the wild and take some solitude with nature. It is here that many great thinkers have been enlightened.

So in the way that I like to do I have taken all these bits of my life and linked them back to a greater meaning. In Taoism there is a manner of being called the Uncarved Block know also as P’u (pronounced Pooh with emphasis on the oo). The chinese character P’u is defined as natural, simple, plain, honest. To understand this more and be tickled pink with a fantastic read please please please pick up a copy of Benjamin Hoff’s The Tao of Pooh. In the mean time I will steal Benjamin’s words ” The essence of the principle of the Uncarved Block is that things in their original simplicity hold their own natural power.”

My revelation is that in our extremely complicated world of human creation and human problems maybe the simplicity of nature holds a power to clear our minds and enlighten our thinking. I love the added punch of meaning this adds to days walking in the bush, or surfing in the ocean, or sitting in a tree.  It is this value of nature that I so want to pass on to my children, so they know, when everything seems too much and the world seems to be caving in around them, they can go to the wilderness and find some P’u. 

Do something fun

~ Mumsgoneclimbing ~ Leave a comment

My beautiful man keeps asking me what I am planning on the weekend, keeps insisting I should do something fun. I look at him with a puzzled look. Why does he keep saying this? I am perfectly happy relaxing and catching up with friends, doing things around home. Then I am lying to bed trying to drift off to sleep, I am asking myself “What have I been doing lately? Am I having fun?”

After really thinking about this, for you know ten minutes, I begin to realise I have fallen into the comfortable area of life. You know what I mean, when you are more then happy doing what you are doing, getting in a routine, visiting your regulars, going through the motions. Its comfortable and perfectly sustainable, but am I loving this? Am I inspired?
Parts of life definitely are, moments of pure joy, of gratitude, I have a baby in my belly so its hard to not be tickled pink. Yes that is right I am pregnant, another beautiful twist in my tale of life.
But when was the last time I tried something new? Explored unchartered territory? Brought the girls together for an adventure? Created something with purpose that inspired me? Besides this beauty in my belly where is my passion going?
I began to contemplate home business, cheeky comfy and why I am no longer pursuing it, what I would change to make me care more, what I want to share with the world. Then my mind was flooded with simple ideas that may tick the boxes I need to tick. Simple, functional designs. Eco fabrics. Inspired messages.
Then I could not dull my mind and fall asleep so I am sitting here typing away with a little vigour, a little inspiration. Maybe tomorrow I will try some fun things. I will get excited about life.