The months go by so quickly and I have found that as I get older, time seems to absolutely fly by. There is that constant reminder for me that there is no time to waste but also taking time to appreciate the good things in my life is absolutely golden.

It has been thrilling to watch my younger son Matt step into his role as a shamanic practitioner. He understands it is what he has always been but now he is learning to embody it and the change in him is very special. He always felt different and now he can embrace and understand what that has been about and the transformation is remarkable.

I was originally perplexed as I sought meaning from Google, which of course gave me all sorts of differing interpretations. The one I have come to feel is the most accurate is the following: Shamanism is an ancient healing tradition and a way of life—how to connect with nature and all of creation. Promote healing with ceremonies and pilgrimage. Recently, following his training, Matt has been instrumental in assisting people with healing and direction, including members of our family.

Following his accident as a young child, he ‘died’ three times and was able to recount to me what he had experienced. I am sorry that I didn’t listen better. It is frightening for a mother to hear her son talk about his death and I wanted then to focus on him being alive. Now we can have the conversations we were unable to have and I rejoice with him gaining a better understanding of why he is here.

In a further attempt to gain understanding, I recently attended a weekend Introduction to Shamanism course which I thoroughly enjoyed. It sharpened my own intuition and led to a very special experience. For one exercise, I partnered with Phong, a young man with a Chinese/ Vietnamese background. We were required to dig deep and each had to share a question with each other. We then sought an answer from our ‘helping spirits’. Uncannily we were both spot on. His question sought some guidance about a purpose for the property he had recently purchased. Mine was a request to understand what more I needed to know about the book I am writing. I saw his property quite clearly and told him what I had seen. He was thrilled as, not only did I describe the property accurately, I was also able to outline a possible purpose which he had already been considering. I didn’t try for an answer, it was just there.

Phong described a key person in my book and gave some indicators for me to look for, which has led me to change the structure of the book. When we had completed the exercise, I asked him where the property was and he said, “Daylesford”. I couldn’t believe it and told him that is where my special ‘character’, Donna, has her shop. But that was not all. I told him that she was the founder of The Cambodian Kids Foundation – then the clincher – his wife is Cambodian and often discusses how she would like to help people in Cambodia. It was a profound experience. I am looking forward to catching up with them in Melbourne tomorrow.

I have had so many synergistic incidents lately which have been helping me to let go of any concerns that I might otherwise have allowed to consume me. The journey is never over but I’m so grateful to still be here until I’ve completed a few more tasks.