I actually can’t believe that it’s already September! It’s Spring, but I’m not convinced Winter is over. We’ve had the most amazing weather in Montagu over the past week, with temperatures mostly in the late 20’s – but I’m wary that’s it’s all a ruse. We haven’t had much of a Winter at all this year, don’t you think?
It’s been very difficult sitting down to write this next blog. So much has happened since my last entry, but putting it all down on paper is proving to be more challenging than I anticipated. The last 2 weeks have been an emotional roller-coaster ride! And I can only assume that it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. As much as we have been receiving support from most of our friends and family, there are those that are fearful, and their fears mirror the fears that we are already feeling.
We’ve been living in Montagu for 5 months, and by the time we leave, we’ll have been here for 8 months. Initially our move here was a way of getting out of the city – de-urbanising if you like. We always knew that this move was an interim step, between city life and self-sustainability. Our plan was to be here for 2 years though – ha! So much for that! When we were told that the house had been sold, Mark and I sat down and went through all our options:
Go Back to Cape Town – that would be like taking a step backward
Rent another property in Montagu – as much as we enjoy living here, we’ve also been very restless here.
Move to another town and rent – that would mean starting all over again …
Sell up and move on
Mark and I spent Mon to Fri last week in Cape Town - even though we live in Montagu, I still work in Cape Town and I go in every 2 weeks. It’s supposed to be for 2 or 3 days at a time, but last week was especially busy, so we ended up staying longer. We both had time to spend with our families, and this is where we’ve experienced the most resistance. Obviously they are worried for us – will we be safe, what if something goes wrong, how will we support ourselves? The thing is that all these fears apply to ‘normal’ life as well – but we handle it as it happens and go on. It’ll be the same out on the road. If the car breaks down, it will just mean that we need to be where we are for a bit longer, for who knows what reason. If we get sick, we’ll go to the general hospital or clinic in the area. And as far as supporting ourselves goes – we’re working on it.
For me personally, the ‘what-if’s’ have stopped parading through my head. I have moments where suddenly out of the blue, my whole body freezes and I think: ‘what the feck am I doing?!’ As soon as that happens though, I counter with: ‘If not now, when?’ I’m 40 – I’m not getting any younger. I’ve never done anything, seen anything and I’d like to do it before it’s too late. The longer we leave it, the harder it will be to ever leave. Using the word ‘leave’ somehow just doesn’t feel right. It’s more like going on a search, a journey, a quest. There are very many cultures that have rites of passage where the individual lets go of everything that defines them and goes on a quest to find out who they really are. This is like that: we’re letting go of that which does not serve us and going on a quest for our purpose. We’ve both been dissatisfied and restless for the longest time, working in jobs that earn us an income but does nothing to enrich our lives or fill us with purpose.
I’ve spent most of this week on the internet: looking for caravans for sale that fit our budget and trying to set up the skeleton of our itinerary. The basic outline is that we will follow festivals and parties around. And in-between these events, we’ll fill the gaps with sight-seeing, meeting people and experiencing what is out there. But like I said in an earlier blog: ‘If you want to make God laugh, make plans’. The thing is that it’s all we have though. It is in our nature to try and control the outcome. As much as I know deep down inside that there is no way that we can control the outcome, being the control-freak that I am, I try anyway. I suspect that this may be the root of the problem. My main challenge, and Mark’s I suspect, is going to be to learn to let go and stop trying to control everything. Yes, we can have our intentions; yes, we can take action – but that is the sum total of what we CAN do. I trust that there is a Divine Plan which we can’t know nor understand – not yet anyway.
At this point I think I should mention that I’ve been stalling on sharing our ‘philosophy’ with you. We are what is referred to as ‘new age spiritualists’. This philosophy is too huge to discuss here (so huge that there are very few that are able to connect all the dots), but it is relevant. It is our motivating factor for making this move. Instead of trying to explain, I’ve made a list of authors, researchers and websites that you can have a look at if you are interested:
Websites: http://www.crystalworlds.com/ ; http://evolutionezine.com/escaping-the-matrix/ ; http://www.michaelsharp.org/ ; http://divinecosmos.com/ ; http://www.crystalinks.com/ ; http://www.cropcirclesecrets.org/
Authors & Researchers: Dr Michael Sharp, Don Miguel Ruiz, Gregg Braden, Masaru Emoto, Deb Shapiro, Eckhart Tolle, David Wilcock, Freddy Silva, Targ & Hurtak, Bruce H Lipton (Ph.D), Lynne McTaggart, Colleen Joy Page, Tony Burroughs
I’ve decided not to use the www.getoffthehamsterwheel.blogspot.com site any longer. It just seems more viable to use my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Off-The-Hamster-Wheel/145280654433)
That’s it for now folks
Yours in Love and Service
Caron
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Panic Stations
This transition that we’re planning has invaded and taken control of my life. It’s the 1st thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing on my mind before I fall into a light and dreamless sleep. I fluctuate between extreme panic and wild joy – predominantly the former…
It’s all we’re talking about as well, making plans. But you know the saying: ‘If you want to make God laugh, make plans’. There’s so much to do and only 12 weeks to do it in. EEEEEK!!!! In 12 weeks we must: sell all our possessions and buy a caravan, trade in our car for a 4x4, and kit out our caravan with everything we’ll need on the road. I’m making lists of everything, and everywhere I go in the house, I’m looking at all our stuff and thinking: ‘keep, sell, sell, sell, keep..’ Mark has just informed me that I need to part with my fairy collection – we’ll have to see about that!
The major cause of all the panic is the fear of not having enough MONEY. Will we be able to make a living on the road to sustain ourselves? And what exactly will we do? I’m a bookkeeper by trade, Mark is a swimming teacher and he owned and ran his own entertainment business for 12 years. But he has lost it all – in the current financial climate, everyone is feeling the pinch and the 1st thing that people clamp down on is entertainment. Over the years that we’ve been together, we’ve both done Reiki courses and a Chi Massage course. So that is one thing we can do. I’m an astrology fan and I’ve been doing Natal charts for my family and friends as a hobby over the years, but now it’s a service that I can offer.
Our good friends, Victoria and her husband Geri, are already out there, living the life that we are envisioning. In fact, we started discussing this move after spending a few days with them 2 months ago. Victoria is ‘The Crystal Lady’. She and Geri travel from place to place, selling crystals. But selling isn’t really what she does: what she’s dong is finding homes for the stones, making sure that they go where they are needed. You see, she doesn’t put a price on the stones. She will accept whatever you offer her for them. She says that they are from Gaia and are not hers to sell. And she has a point.
If we truly embrace that we are here to serve humanity and we are sincere about breaking the ties we have to money, then how can we charge for our services? From this perspective, we are going to follow Victoria’s example. We will accept what people can afford and / or remove currency by trading. This means we will accept a pocket of potatoes or 5l of fuel for the car in exchange for a massage or a Birth Chart.
Once we’re out there, we’ll meet people, share ideas and learn form others who have done this before us and in that way we’ll find more things to do to support ourselves. We’ve had some very good ideas so far, and we’re speaking to all and sundry about our plans. The more we speak about it, the more real it becomes.
It’s all we’re talking about as well, making plans. But you know the saying: ‘If you want to make God laugh, make plans’. There’s so much to do and only 12 weeks to do it in. EEEEEK!!!! In 12 weeks we must: sell all our possessions and buy a caravan, trade in our car for a 4x4, and kit out our caravan with everything we’ll need on the road. I’m making lists of everything, and everywhere I go in the house, I’m looking at all our stuff and thinking: ‘keep, sell, sell, sell, keep..’ Mark has just informed me that I need to part with my fairy collection – we’ll have to see about that!
The major cause of all the panic is the fear of not having enough MONEY. Will we be able to make a living on the road to sustain ourselves? And what exactly will we do? I’m a bookkeeper by trade, Mark is a swimming teacher and he owned and ran his own entertainment business for 12 years. But he has lost it all – in the current financial climate, everyone is feeling the pinch and the 1st thing that people clamp down on is entertainment. Over the years that we’ve been together, we’ve both done Reiki courses and a Chi Massage course. So that is one thing we can do. I’m an astrology fan and I’ve been doing Natal charts for my family and friends as a hobby over the years, but now it’s a service that I can offer.
Our good friends, Victoria and her husband Geri, are already out there, living the life that we are envisioning. In fact, we started discussing this move after spending a few days with them 2 months ago. Victoria is ‘The Crystal Lady’. She and Geri travel from place to place, selling crystals. But selling isn’t really what she does: what she’s dong is finding homes for the stones, making sure that they go where they are needed. You see, she doesn’t put a price on the stones. She will accept whatever you offer her for them. She says that they are from Gaia and are not hers to sell. And she has a point.
If we truly embrace that we are here to serve humanity and we are sincere about breaking the ties we have to money, then how can we charge for our services? From this perspective, we are going to follow Victoria’s example. We will accept what people can afford and / or remove currency by trading. This means we will accept a pocket of potatoes or 5l of fuel for the car in exchange for a massage or a Birth Chart.
Once we’re out there, we’ll meet people, share ideas and learn form others who have done this before us and in that way we’ll find more things to do to support ourselves. We’ve had some very good ideas so far, and we’re speaking to all and sundry about our plans. The more we speak about it, the more real it becomes.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Sat 22 Aug 2009
Have you ever felt like just running away? I have - a LOT and for a long time now.
We spend our entire lives as slaves to the system, working in pointless jobs that serve no higher purpose than to pay the bills at the end of every month. We live behind big walls, surrounding ourselves with things, placing value in objects that have no real value. We find security in our things and value ourselves by the amount of money we have in the bank and the labels that we wear. Each week, month, year flies by - one not much different from the last. And where does it actually get us in the end anyway? Old and sick, living off a meagre pension, still just trying to get by. And what will we have really achieved?
Everywhere you look, everyone is telling the same story. Everyone seems to be struggling. The battle to make ends meet is just too much. I'm referring mainly to the average, regular joe public, but I'm sure that even those who are financially abundant have noticed a drop in income. We know for a fact that we are in a global recession, but the 'powers that be' would like us to believe that it's all going to be ok. Define ok? Is this current economy that RULES OUR LIVES really ok? Is the way that we feel about money ok: the way we are happy when we have it and in a complete spin when we don’t? People regularly end their own lives and commit murder because of the lack of it, and it is one of the major causes of relationship break-downs. The world is split into the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ in varying degrees. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. A lawyer can charge up to R1,500 per hour while the public servant who carries away our garbage is on minimum wage. Who says that the one guy’s job is worth more that the others? None of it makes sense: banks, governments, the Receiver of Revenue, major corporations, law enforcement agencies and armies, advertising and the media – all these institutions tie us up in knots. We spend our entire lives trying to tow the line and ‘do the right thing’ and forget that we have a life to live and experiences to experience. If you’d like to know more, click on this link to read a really crisp and refreshing view of our economy and the way it all works, a parable written by Dr Michael Sharp: http://www.michaelsharp.org/ebooks/rocketguide.pdf
I could go on and on, and I probably will (watch this space), but I’d like to talk a bit about where all of this ‘senseless living’ has led us - my husband Mark and I. We want nothing more to do with it. If you really think about it, all we really need to survive is sustenance, shelter and love. If we have all 3 we’ll survive, right? So what is all the rest but distraction? There is a big beautiful world out there filled with amazing people just waiting to be experienced. And here we are, stuck on the hamster wheel. And the thing that stops us from looking for another way of BEING is fear. Fear of change, fear of lack, fear of failure, fear of being judged. Yes, all change is scary, but I also believe that all change is good, especially when the old ways of doing things just doesn’t work anymore.
We’ve all heard about self-sustainability, free-energy and going off the grid, but the trick is how to get from here, a ‘normal’ life to there. Out of everybody who we have shared our vision with, a vast majority have responded with: ‘I wish I could do that!’ If I can do this, anyone can. I’m as regular and normal as can be (although I suppose my friends and family may disagree). I’m terrified of any creepy-crawly and just as terrified of change. The never-ending parade of ‘what-if’s’ parading through my mind is literally causing nausea and heart palpitations. But my dissatisfaction and frustration with the ‘way things are’ is greater.
We are where we are because of all the choices we have made throughout our lives that have led us to this point – personally and globally as mass consciousness. And if we are unhappy with where we are, the only way to change it is to choose to do something else. I choose to let go. I choose to experience life. I choose not to live this limited and pointless existence any longer than absolutely necessary.
So, we have 3 months before we begin our journey: the house that we are renting has been sold and we must move out by the end of Nov 2009. We’re going to sell most of our possessions and travel the country in a caravan and 4x4 with our dog, Pilgrim. We’re going out into the deep blue yonder in search of greener pastures, trusting that Divine Guidance will lead us ever forward toward freedom.
This is our journey and I’ll document the ‘trip’ right here; the entire process – our hopes and fears, our challenges and insights. And hopefully we can inspire hope in others.
In my next entry, I’ll talk a bit about our story so far – how we got to this point. I’ll also go more into our vision for out future.
Til next time, in service and light
Caron
We spend our entire lives as slaves to the system, working in pointless jobs that serve no higher purpose than to pay the bills at the end of every month. We live behind big walls, surrounding ourselves with things, placing value in objects that have no real value. We find security in our things and value ourselves by the amount of money we have in the bank and the labels that we wear. Each week, month, year flies by - one not much different from the last. And where does it actually get us in the end anyway? Old and sick, living off a meagre pension, still just trying to get by. And what will we have really achieved?
Everywhere you look, everyone is telling the same story. Everyone seems to be struggling. The battle to make ends meet is just too much. I'm referring mainly to the average, regular joe public, but I'm sure that even those who are financially abundant have noticed a drop in income. We know for a fact that we are in a global recession, but the 'powers that be' would like us to believe that it's all going to be ok. Define ok? Is this current economy that RULES OUR LIVES really ok? Is the way that we feel about money ok: the way we are happy when we have it and in a complete spin when we don’t? People regularly end their own lives and commit murder because of the lack of it, and it is one of the major causes of relationship break-downs. The world is split into the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ in varying degrees. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. A lawyer can charge up to R1,500 per hour while the public servant who carries away our garbage is on minimum wage. Who says that the one guy’s job is worth more that the others? None of it makes sense: banks, governments, the Receiver of Revenue, major corporations, law enforcement agencies and armies, advertising and the media – all these institutions tie us up in knots. We spend our entire lives trying to tow the line and ‘do the right thing’ and forget that we have a life to live and experiences to experience. If you’d like to know more, click on this link to read a really crisp and refreshing view of our economy and the way it all works, a parable written by Dr Michael Sharp: http://www.michaelsharp.org/ebooks/rocketguide.pdf
I could go on and on, and I probably will (watch this space), but I’d like to talk a bit about where all of this ‘senseless living’ has led us - my husband Mark and I. We want nothing more to do with it. If you really think about it, all we really need to survive is sustenance, shelter and love. If we have all 3 we’ll survive, right? So what is all the rest but distraction? There is a big beautiful world out there filled with amazing people just waiting to be experienced. And here we are, stuck on the hamster wheel. And the thing that stops us from looking for another way of BEING is fear. Fear of change, fear of lack, fear of failure, fear of being judged. Yes, all change is scary, but I also believe that all change is good, especially when the old ways of doing things just doesn’t work anymore.
We’ve all heard about self-sustainability, free-energy and going off the grid, but the trick is how to get from here, a ‘normal’ life to there. Out of everybody who we have shared our vision with, a vast majority have responded with: ‘I wish I could do that!’ If I can do this, anyone can. I’m as regular and normal as can be (although I suppose my friends and family may disagree). I’m terrified of any creepy-crawly and just as terrified of change. The never-ending parade of ‘what-if’s’ parading through my mind is literally causing nausea and heart palpitations. But my dissatisfaction and frustration with the ‘way things are’ is greater.
We are where we are because of all the choices we have made throughout our lives that have led us to this point – personally and globally as mass consciousness. And if we are unhappy with where we are, the only way to change it is to choose to do something else. I choose to let go. I choose to experience life. I choose not to live this limited and pointless existence any longer than absolutely necessary.
So, we have 3 months before we begin our journey: the house that we are renting has been sold and we must move out by the end of Nov 2009. We’re going to sell most of our possessions and travel the country in a caravan and 4x4 with our dog, Pilgrim. We’re going out into the deep blue yonder in search of greener pastures, trusting that Divine Guidance will lead us ever forward toward freedom.
This is our journey and I’ll document the ‘trip’ right here; the entire process – our hopes and fears, our challenges and insights. And hopefully we can inspire hope in others.
In my next entry, I’ll talk a bit about our story so far – how we got to this point. I’ll also go more into our vision for out future.
Til next time, in service and light
Caron
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
