Summer 2013

It has been a wonderful Summer for The Red Thread ~ amid the usual schizophrenic summer weather of this fair Island; stifling heat, beautiful blue skies and summer showers; our vibrant community have come together every two weeks as we always do. 

Joining friends who have been here since the beginning, we have welcomed many new faces and beautiful young families into the weave and it is a happy, chatty, busy yet relaxed atmosphere on Red Thread mornings.

Last week two of our number celebrated their first journey around the sun with cake (of course) and giggles ~ what better?

Yes we are a happy bunch ~ lovingly supporting and witnessing each other in our lives and our mothering. We strive for no judgment, just open hearts and open minds here.

I know that particularly this year I have needed the holding and love of this community more than ever, and just knowing that they are there is making the day to day a better place to be for me and my children. 

And THAT ~ well that's what friends are for.

 Blessed Be  x

 ...and make a wish x

Heartwood Small School Project

For the past few years it has been my very great pleasure to be involved (albeit from the periphery) with a wonderful educational project, Heartwood Small School Project.

They began in 2010 to create a small, family-centred learning community based near Petersfield, in West Sussex and have grown over the intervening couple of years to offer a truly inspiring and stimulating environment for children between 11 and 16. 

My son came out of the state school system after suffering bullying. His confidence crumbled and our bright, happy child was wilting before our eyes. We had decided that home education was the answer although it didn't quite feel like an ideal fit for him. Through a chance remark from my acupuncturist I heard about this exciting new project and within 2 minutes of visiting, we were in love...

The love and dedication of the team behind Heartwood is evident from the level of care that goes into every detail. With aspirations of sustainability, mindfulness, and a gentle, community centred learning environment for our children I can't think of a better place for my emerging teen to spend his days. 

They study GCSE classes in the core subjects aswell as People and Places, Bushcraft, Philosophy and Ethics, Photography, Art and wonderful weekly drama classes. They spend as much time as possible outside and enjoy termly camping expeditions.

The proof is in him though. He is happy, thriving and sparkling once more. When he had a cold earlier this year he almost begged to be allowed to go to school & in his own words, Heartwood is like a second family to him. 

What more could we as parents, ask for?

If you are inspired by Heartwood or you think that your child could benefit from their inspirational approach to learning then please get in touch. 

I'm sharing the news about this exciting project today because places are now available for new students and families to join our learning community.

The Heartwood Open Day is on Friday the 15th March 2013, please come along and see for yourself...

www.heartwoodproject.org.uk 01730 826665 or 07767 321271

Wholehearted Return

This year I decided to resume work as an Holistic Birthing Companion, a Doula. I decided to rejoin Doula UK after a break of 4 years, one way of letting the universe know that I am serious about returning to the world of Birth work. 

Even though I've officially been a "resting" Doula since the birth of my youngest 4 years ago, I attended 5 incredible births last year and have conducted many Mother Blessing ceremonies over the intervening time, also within the Red Thread we have welcomed many new souls earthside, and so I have never really been far from birth. 

When it came to writing my "Doulaography" however, I found myself sitting and staring for a prolonged time at an empty screen. I realised that being a Doula had become so much a part of Who I Am, that I hadn't really thought about it in a linear fashion for a long time! 

I started to think about how my attitude to Birthwork has changed and developed over the years and so I spent some time reflecting on this (while washing up, making lunch, hoovering… no such thing as quiet reflection in this house!) 

So much has happened in the 4 years since I decided to take a break. I have changed; I have grown, I have been burnt but emerged strengthened from the glowing embers, I have learnt wonderful new things and made some beautiful connections & soul friends and so, I suppose has my practice of Being with birth, evolved too. 

All of my experiences have informed who and how I am in my life and in my work, I realised in one startling moment of clarity how absolutely grateful I am for every single moment of my experience, even the moments that have felt dark and difficult. 

In spite of all that change, the essence of who I am and what I do as a Doula has stayed the same. My commitment to the work and my intention remain clear, untarnished and only stronger for the time that has passed. 

I do this work to support and to care for women in Birth. I do this work because I Love it ~ I love Birth, I love babies, I love to bear witness to such beauty & to glimpse the mystery. I do this work because it is one of the things that I am meant to do in this lifetime ~ along with Mothering my children and Celebrancy and other things I am yet to discover but can feel just around the corner… I do this work because it is a part of Who I am. 

Today I am so grateful for this clarity and excited about all that is to come.

Creating Ceremony, Creating memories

One of my very favourite things, is creating Ceremony.

Regardless of our spiritual or religious direction, I believe it is an integral and deep rooted part of our soul and our community that we nourish, when we come together to celebrate and mark our passage through life with meaningful Ceremony. 

Our society is ritual poor and it shows; in tired, consumer driven "Baby showers" full of gifts but lacking in substance; in women approaching birth in fear and isolation; in our young men and women coming to adulthood unmet and unacknowledged in their teen thunder; in both grief and joy equally muted by pale traditions and conventional stereotypes...

Don't get me wrong, I know that not all traditional ceremonies are like this but I have borne witness to my fair share and it has angered, saddened and deeply distressed me at times. 

And so I love to Create Ceremonies. Just writing this sentence makes me smile. 

In joy, the height of our happiness is declared as we introduce a new baby to our clan, to the elements and to the earth our home. Rhapsodic, we declare our commitment and love for one another in a Handfasting or Wedding Blessing. We can recognize and embrace the changing shape of our families as we welcome in adopted children or blend existing families together into a whole new loving entity.

There are so many happy moments in life when we are moved to celebrate and there are also painful and sorrowful times that it feels just as imperative to mark, such as divorce, a passing or the anniversary of a death. At such times, heartfelt, personal ceremony helps us to mark time, to remember and to process our feelings. It is a way of saying, 'you are not here but you are always with us' to those that have gone on ~ and how beautiful to sing our loved ones on their path into the next world lovingly and uniquely, in celebration of who they are and have been in this lifetime. Importantly, it is within these moments that we honour and draw comfort from the fact that life goes on, and the wheel goes ever round.

Ceremony is a chance for us to give thanks for what we have, what we have let go of and for what we will have in the future. Through rituals such as the Phoenix Ceremony, we can choose to let go of what no longer serves us, in gratitude for the lessons that we have learnt. In doing so we are allowing the possibility of new growth from the flames of our past. This is the place where we can nurture and create intention, our vision for the future, and strike out towards it with purpose and clarity. 

We honour each other and the very essence of life in our festivity and so it feels right to me that each and every Ceremony should be unique and tailored to those celebrating. We should chant, drum and dance; raise our voices and our hearts in prose and song; we should laugh, cry and smile with eyes and hearts full. Every emotion is accepted here as living, breathing, heart thumping, messy proof that we are indeed, here on this human journey. Acknowledging and celebrating our path, we are creating Ceremony and weaving a rich blanket memories to keep us warm for always.

Please get in touch if I can help you to create a Ceremony however large or small ~ keeley@motherscircle.co.uk 

a new home

Times and tides change and so must all things adapt. Much as sometimes we might like things to stay the same, especially when life is good, change is an inevitable part of life, forward movement and growth. 

and what better time for a new adventure for the Red Thread than in the surging green energy of the blossoming Spring.

We have had 3 very happy years at the pavillion in Fernhurst and so I am sorry to say Goodbye to it but we have found a peaceful and very beautiful new home for our meetings in Surrey.

The new space is a converted barn set within an orchard just south of Guildford, much more accessible for everyone that comes along. This was the main aim of the move, to be a bit closer for everyone, as our community has changed and moved over time and most of our families, old and new, are now coming from that direction. 


Also, best of all the outside space at the barn is absolutely amazing, a wonderful and safe place for the children (and grown ups) to skip, run and play freely. It helps that since we relocated the weather has been glorious but I feel that this place is quite magical with or without sunshine! 

On one of our first visits we were treated to an auspicious sighting of a hare at the bottom of the orchard. I can't really think of a better sign of the energy of the land.

I've been so happy to witness Red Thread becoming a real community effort in the first half of this year. The group has pulled together to make sure that our meetings will continue to provide a fortnightly space in which to relax, unwind and connect with like minded families.


Feeling positive, supported & blessed in our new start


Blessings from my family to yours this Spring, 


Keeley x

Fire and Midwinter Wishes

In celebration and remembrance of another year rolling by, my children and I lit the solstice fire tonight with friends. 

At bedtime tonight we gathered by the indoor fire and talked about what we would like to take with us into the new year when the sun rises on the Winter Solstice tomorrow. I love opportunities like these in life ~ here on the longest night we are given pause, a moment to stand on the threshold of the new and look back on what has been. 

It is at these moments that we can truly create our reality by paying attention to what seeds we are allowing to take root in the dark fertile soil of our interior. Its a chance to leave behind that which we do not wish to take with us and to choose better things for our journey; things that make us smile, lift our spirits, make our hearts swell with gladness and love. Of course the shadow side of life is there always and there is little point in pretending that it isn't, but as long as we can learn from, accept and be grateful for our experiences, whatever they may be, we are free to move on from them and to soar into the next phase.

For the Red Thread it has been a wonderful year, there have been trying moments of course, but for me the absolutely glorious ones are the ones that I am choosing to take into 2012 with me. 

We had the brilliance and excitement of Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth, a day that I will never forget; the supportive, comforting familiarity of our regular meetings; the joy of witnessing each others children grow and the warmth of the deepening bonds of community and love that we are forging here together. 

We have seen much loved members of our circle leave to continue their journeys elsewhere and their faces, energy and contribution to our lives I will never forget. In turn we have been blessed by new Mama's and their little ones joining our group, new babies to hold, stories to hear, new friends to make.

There have been blessingways, bumps and brand new babies to welcome, what joy! As always there is playing, learning, crying (not always just the children) & chatting ; sparkly play dough to play with and lots of tea to be drunk. 

We are sharing the journey of motherhood in all its colours, and supporting & witnessing each other as we expand and blossom into the women and Mothers that we aspire to be. 

Yes, it has been a good year for The Red Thread and I am proud of what we are creating here and excited to see what will grow next year from the seeds of this one…

Blessings of light and darkness to you this Solstice.

Love Keeley x

In the Summer time...

For our last meeting in July, one of our Red Thread Mama's, Kate, came along to give us a talk on Herbs for Mothers and Children. It was a lovely meeting and Kate gave very generously of her time to answer questions and share her extensive knowledge with us all. Thank You Kate!

The Red Thread is taking a break over the Summer this year, for the first time since we started. We are returning in the Autumn, in September and I am so looking forward to seeing everyone again and hearing all about their Summers..

Wherever you are reading this blog, I hope these Summer weeks have been warm, nourishing & fun for you and your family. 

My family joined many others at The Mother magazine's annual family camp in North Yorkshire. It was a lovely break for us all, amid the beautiful surroundings and many lovely families, all coming together to share time; prepare & cook meals together; play, tie dye and knit; witness a handfasting; attend free workshops; dream & chat at the camp fire long into the night. 

Community Damper bread making

Once again, Veronika & Paul of The Mother magazine put heart and soul into providing and holding this space for us all. They should be proud of all they achieved this year with another lovely camp that was loved and enjoyed by so many families.

Veronika & paul at the camp fire for the launch of The Mystic Cookfire

We certainly came back happy & with a heart full of lovely memories to keep us warm & inspired.


Back home again, with Lammas just behind us, my thoughts turn toward Autumn. Even though we are still surrounded by the abundance of Summer, the seeds of next year can be seen in the crops, plants and flowers all around us, and harvest is on the way. The children have picked (and instantly eaten, naturally!) the first blackberries and our apples & plums are almost ready on the trees.


This is a time of year when I can really feel the wheel turning, light into dark, flower into seed, the glowing potential of pregnancy into the beauty & raw power of birth, Maiden into Mother; early into late Summer and then on into Autumn. Long and hopefully warm days still to come allow us all to spend more time outside, making the most of the late Summer, as the seasons dance on...


Enjoy!

An Ecstatic Birth...

For the beautiful vibe, the wonderful tribe that gathered in the sunny museum garden and the inspirational talks, Nurtured family Nurtured Earth 2011 far exceeded my expectations. Dear friends old and new gathered, & people travelled from all over the country to be here & to support our vision. Father sun shone and Mother Earth was warmed.

Kids activities in the beautiful garden were started off with a session of childrens yoga with Relax Kids coach Katherine Bowdidge, and then a mad musical hour with the lovely Len tyler, who soon had the children marching round the garden whilst he led, playing the euphonium. Next up were Alfie & Paul with their ever popular ventriloquist show and then Lynne, telling her Mongolian story complete with exquisite hand made puppets, in the yurt. The afternoons activities were rounded of with Jo Davis from Etudeo getting the kids all painting banners with hands & feet (and knees, legs, tummies…you get the picture). There was also much playing and mooching done by kids of all ages, one particularly resourceful small person found the outside tap and so we had an impromptu splash pool for a while there too! There were also seeds to plant and take home and some wonderful Nature Weaving provided by Sally.

The talks were amazing, informative and inspirational ~ Anna Watson bravely started off first thing to an almost full lecture hall, engaging all with her talk on Vaccination, closely followed by Maggie Curry who spoke eloquently on Nurturing the Whole Child in Education. The afternoon saw the dynamic Patrick Houser's talk entitled, " Parents Architects of the Future" which is also the title of his upcoming book, and then Veronika Robinson shared with us the 10 threads of Nurturing, that we can all include in our lives for ourselves and our families. A booklet of Veronika's talk is now available from here for those of you who missed it or would like a very useful memento!

Elsewhere, the market room buzzed with information, books, slings, networking and our fabulous Raffle that we called at the end of the day. The Red Thread kitchen, very capably run by Karen and a team of volunteers, was busy all day selling drinks, home made cakes, popcorn and fresh fruit. Our table, organised by Tanya and (wo)manned by various volunteers (mostly breastfeeding ones ~ thats what you get for sitting down!) was a hive of activity, selling raffle tickets and some lovely hand made items donated by the ladies of The Red Thread. 

Out in the garden there was Tai Chi with Dean Dalrymple, a fabulous Herb Walk with Tim Carpenter and a full schedule of talks and workshops in the tipi provided by the therapists of The Indigo Touch. To round the day off, Drumheads arrived in style and provided a truly memorable and dynamic community drumming circle. 

Wow, I'm exhausted but also ecstatic all over again just writing about it!

As a whole experience for me personally, the journey of Doula'ing this event has been awe inspiring. Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth was a co-creation, hatched on the dream plane between my good friend Starr and I, and nourished & nurtured over many months, first by the loving support of Veronika Robinson, and then by all of the other fantastic people who came together and blended their energy to make it happen. Somewhere very early on in this process, our baby took on a life of its own and started to gather some wonderful momentum, drawing in magic as it grew, until the end result on Saturday felt somehow effortless; flowing beautifully as we had dreamed it would. An ecstatic birth for our dream.

On the other side of it all now, no longer brainstorming, list making or planning, I have been thinking these past few days about the gifts that Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth bought for me. As I sit here typing I can see out of the window, my son climbing the oak tree in the front garden as his sisters watch rapt, from the ground. It reminds me that everything I do is driven by my children, everything is for them and for their continued wholeness in mind, body and spirit. Consciousness raising, which is ultimately what Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth is, is for all of our children and the generations to come. 

I truly believe that we are all separately, vibrant drops in the still pool of the universe. Living an authentic life with our family creates rainbow ripples that resonate far and wide. You can't underestimate the value of what we can achieve by living our truth in our day to day lives, but when we come together our strength is palpable. Coming together amplifies this energy that we each cultivate in our own unique ways within the heart of our own families. It can really be felt flowing through our connections, with each other, as a community, as a tribe, when we celebrate what it is that makes us all unique. It was to harness and encourage this amazing force for change that Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth was created.

 A friend emailed me in the last few days and said 

"the day was ENJOYED thoroughly by everyone, young and old.  Families uninformed left informed and nurtured. The energy was vibrant, excited, safe, supportive, peaceful and conscious….Liked minded souls connecting and learning from each other. "

If we had written a mission statement for Nurtured Family, then I think this would have been it. So you see, looking back on our amazing day I can truly say that I feel it is Mission Accomplished!

Reflecting on the gifts of Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth, for me the greatest gift is surely the reminder, that every time we nurture our selves and our families with consciousness and open hearts, we are also nurturing the Earth, for our children and the generations yet to come.

Let us all surf the wave of fantastic energy from Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth 2011 and trust that it will carry us as far as we need and want to go… Same time next year anyone??!

Raffle!

As promised here is the list of fantastic prizes for Saturdays raffle.Thank you so much to everyone who has been so generous in contributing these wonderful prizes. 

"Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth" (pictured left) an original watercolour painting in a beech frame by Jaine Rose www.jainerose.co.uk

Set of 4 cd's ~ Drum Songs from the Heathen Hills, Weathered Edge & Old Silverhead by Carolyn Hillyer and Dartmoor Roundhouse by Nigel Shaw from Seventh Wave Music www.seventhwavemusic.co.uk

A  Mooncup from Feminine Wear www.femininewear.co.uk

2 Gift Subscriptions to The Mother magazine www.themothermagazine.co.uk

Life Without School & Stretch Marks, by Veronika Sophia Robinson ~ kindly donated by Jacqui Ferguson

The Drinks Are On Me, The Birthkeepers  by Veronika Sophia Robinson

**NEW** The Mystic Cookfire by Veronika Sophia Robinson

Set of cards from Sacred Celebrations www.sacredcelebrationcards.com

A Babasling baby Sling www.thebabasling.com

"Abundant Health" book donated by the United Chiropractic Association.

The Method Home Detox Kit  www.methodproducts.co.uk

Earth Friendly Baby Gift Set www.healthqueststore.com 

A wooden toy from Past and Present gift shop, Haslemere

Who They Really Are by Christina Fletcher 

Parent Mentoring session with Christina Fletcher

1 year subscription to Nexus magazine www.nexusmagazine.com

2 x 1 year subscriptions to Juno magazine www.junomagazine.com

1 x Large veg Box from Riverford Organic home delivery

1 x voucher for a medium Fruit & Veg Box from Abel & Cole

Car Parks and getting here

For all of you who are travelling to Haslemere for Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth, here is a link to a map showing the way from Weyhill, right next to Haslemere where there is more parking than in the town centre. It is a 15-20 minute walk in to the museum from there.... also on the map is the train station, so you can see the short route in to town from there too :-)


There are 3 car parks in the main town which are a little closer ~ also on the map ~ but just wanted to give you a few options as it may well be busy.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=51.089049,-0.716686&spn=0.013397,0.038581&z=15&msid=213901394411498222339.0004a45d01b9d89041511

Safe a peaceful journeys everyone.


Looking forward to seeing you all next weekend x 

To all of you who have registered for Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth, a huge Thank You!

I have sent out an email with a few important details to you all ~  here are some of the main points, just in case for some reason you haven't received it;

Please bring a picnic lunch and come hang out in the garden with us. We are running a small kitchen on site with drinks, fruit and home made light snacks & refreshments for sale but we are not selling lunches this year, so please come prepared. There is a supermarket just minutes from the museum though if you don't manage to grab your lunch before you leave!

We hope you will find plenty to amuse yourself with; there are many Children's Activities, a Healing Tipi, Tai Chi and a Herb Walk running alongside the main talks all day, culminating with a Community Drumming Circle (please bring along a djembe or percussion instrument if you wish) to end the day at 4 pm which we hope you will all enjoy. Please have a look through the schedule to make sure that you know whats happening & when.

Please buy a raffle ticket (or 10!) on the day ~ The raffle is looking amazing, with more donated gifts coming in all the time, I will update the blog soon with a complete up to date list. There will be many opportunities to purchase tickets for the raffle so please take them up. Particular highlights are a Beautiful Original Watercolour by the inspirational artist Jaine Rose & copies of Veronika Robinsons books, The Drinks are On Me, The Birthkeepers, Life Without School and  (hopefully!) her newest offering The Mystic Cookfire.

Please do have a great time! and sign our guest book, which will be on The Red Thread's table in the market room. Let us know what you have liked and what you would like different next time :- )


Here is a link to directions to the museum

http://www.haslemeremuseum.co.uk/visit.htm

Please be aware that there is no parking at the museum ~ there are a few car parks in town, but we recommend coming by train into Haslemere as there is a good service on the Waterloo/ Portsmouth line. It is just a 15 minute walk from the station to the museum or a very quick taxi ride, thus avoiding having to park in town.

We have a programme of activities running for your children to join in with if they wish.
It is really important for everyones happiness and safety, that children should be accompanied by an adult at all times. Our numbers do not allow for Creche facilities and so there must be a responsible adult with your children at all times whilst on the museum grounds.

So looking forward to spending time with you all in 2 weeks!

blessings x

Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth

Well, so far it has been an eventful year around here, but it is about to get a lot more interesting and exciting, as we are now able to publish a working schedule of events at Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth. The day is now just 3 weeks away, and continues to draw in magic, surprises and amazing Raffle Prizes as it grows! I will blog shortly about all of the fantastic donations we have had for our raffle, for now though, I am very happy to bring you the schedule below. 

Thank you once again to everyone who is working so hard to bring this day into being; for us it is much like a community labour and birth (only with more emails...!) and I am so so grateful to all of you who are working so hard for us, mopping brows and getting ready to catch, and most importantly to ENJOY, Nurtured Family Nurtured Earth as it unfolds into being on June 4th. 

I can't wait to see you all on the day. Blessings x

Talks in The Haslemere Room
10.30 Doors Open
10.45 - 11.45 Discussing Vaccination and Natural Immunity, Anna Watson of Arnica Parents
12.00 - 13.00 “Nurturing The Whole Child In Education” Maggie Curry of Heartwood Small School project
13.30 - 14.30 “Parents, Architects of The Future” with Patrick Houser of Fathers To Be International. Which came first the parent or the child? When does parenting, and for that matter childhood, actually begin? What real choices do we have as parents regarding the future wellbeing of our children?
14.45 - 16.00 “The Nurtured Family” with Veronika Sophia Robinson, Editor of The Mother magazine. Veronika will share ten threads of nurturing to weave into family life. She'll offer ideas which are easy and practical, and can be implemented by any parent seeking to bring more consciousness to their daily life.
 

Childrenʼs Activities in the garden (children must be accompanied by an adult at all times)
10.30 Doors Open
11- 11.45 Relax Kids session in the yurt, with Katharine Bowdidge. Come along for a fun adventure in your imagination~ includes some movement and games, stretching (gentle yoga poses) breathing, affirmations and visualisations, a calming story to help mind and body relax.
12- 13.00 Music for parents and children with Len of the Len Tyler Music School, meet under the shelter in the garden
13.15 - 13.45 Meet Alfie! with Paul Robinson ~ a ventriloquist show for kids of all ages in the yurt.
14.00 - 14.30 “A Mongolian Story” Story telling with Lynne Fornieles and Willow of Heartwood Small School Project, in the yurt.
14.30- 16.00 Kids Activities with Etudeo in the yurt.
 

Garden Schedule
All Day Tʼai Chi in the Bell Tent with Dean Dalrymple, running 40 minute sessions of Tʼai Chi through the day, suitable for all abilities.
13.30 - 14.30 Herb Walk: Come rain or shine the wild stuff will thrive. Whether you call them wild plants, herbs or weeds, they can probably help you improve your health. Learn the identity of some of Britainʼs wild flowers and trees and how they work with your body to heal various ailments. Led by Medical Herbalist Tim Carpenter. Meet at the foot of the steps to the annexe in the garden at 13.30 to join this fantastic walk.
16.00 - 17.00 Please join us for a Community Drumming Circle, led by Drumheads & the Guildford Drum Circle in the garden for a dynamic end to your day.
 

Healing Tipi

The therapists of The Indigo Touch will have a table in the market room and be running a healing area all day in the Tipi in the Garden, please check out the schedule and drop in.

10.30 - 11.15 Dee French ~ offering Nutritional Advice, please drop in
11.15 - 12.00 Emma McGuire ~ introduction to Homeopathy and First Aid Remedies
12.00 - 12.45 Tamara Kircher ~ Chinese Massage (Tui Na) for children
12.45 - 13.30 Jacky Milner Walker ~ Baby Massage Demonstration
13.30 - 14.15 Carina Petter ~ Talk on Cranial Osteopathy
15.00- 15.45 Alex Sams ~ Bach Flower Remedies