Glastonbury, a magical place

Do you know that feeling? Some places are just magical? I do wonder if that works the same for everyone. I do not consider myself a highly spiritual person. I have some interest in the field and use some in my work, but at the same time have my feet planted firmly on the ground. And yet there are some places on this earth that can really touch me and draw me back to visit them time and time again.

For me Glastonbury in England is such a place.  The first I heard of it as a child was through my fascination with the King Arthur stories. I knew I wanted to visit, but there were so many places on my to do list and Glastonbury certainly did not stand out. When I was 21 I had my first change to visit, I was on my own for the first time on an abroad trip and it took some organising to get there by public transport.It was around sundown when I saw the Tor looming up in front of me through the window for the first time in my life. It gripped me and since has never let go. Every time I come down the Somerset country roads my heart skips a beat when I see the Tor again after years of absence.

Usually the abbey is the first stop. The biggest car park is right behind it and it is an easy first stop. There are only a  few walls left of what must once have been one of the biggest abbeys in the kingdom. What is left still impresses wether you are christian, pagan or non-believer. There just is something about the place. Like many christian places Glastonbury abbey also has it's pagan symbols. There is the egg stone behind the abbey kitchen. The legend goes that women who sit on the stone will get pregnant. No, I have not tried that. :)  But it is a magical belief that has lasted for centuries. Another legend is of course that King Arthur himself was buried on abbey grounds. And centuries ago they did find the bones of a large warrior and a woman besides him. Then there is the thorn.  The holy thorn that blossoms at Christmas. This is an offshoot of the one on Wearyall hill that was so unfortunately damaged by vandals last year. All these stories make for a magical athmosphere. Do I believe in them? It doesn't matter, walking around surrounded by so much magic makes me feel good.

Next is the Tor. A hill next to the small town, crowned by a small tower. Several footpaths lead up the hill. I have taken most of them. Running, walking and nearly crawling to the top. Once you are there you have a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside. Andit is as if you can feel the energy under your feet. On the top I will sit or stand quietly for a while doing grounding excersises. Taking in new fresh energy and letting go of old and excess energy. And even after the long hike I will feel  rejuvinated. 

The trek down seems so much easier and I know that at the end awaits the chalice well garden. This is the final stop on the tour that is never missed. The garden offers tranquility and the healing waters of the chalice well. It is a haven to sit, rest your feet, put them in the healing water or drink from it [upstream] and just relax. Even at times that relaxing was not a strong point, I always could in this garden.

Too soon the day is at an end again and I say goodbye knowing I will return again and do my little trek all over. I feel energized, peacefull and happy. 

 

Are there places on earth that do this for you?  I would love to hear from you and please share your story here or on facebook.
 

Related articles

• Resurrection of the Holy Thorn Tree: Glastonbury's vandalised shrine comes back to life (dailymail.co.uk)
• Beautiful sacred sites around the world (sisterofsun.wordpress.com)

OCTIA conference on online counselling

I am back from the OCTIA conference in Bristol, England. It was everything I had hoped for and I can recommend it to everyone.

The atmosphere at the conference is relaxed and respectful towards everyone as well as a delegate at the location or if you are following online through onlinevents.

The day started off with a lecture on websites and marketing by Gill Jones. It was very interesting for those who have not thought much about marketing yet and it gave me some great new tips to try out as well. And it was a very good start to the day.


It was followed by a lecture by Tim Bond on ethical and legal issues for Online Counsellors. This is an issue that I take very seriously, clients need to know that we work with high standards and working with us is safe. The lecture was very informative and again for me made clear that as a European Union we have to work closer and standardise things like the data protection act. So that there is one entry point in Europe were you can get this code and it is valid for clients from the whole European Union. I am sure we will get there one day. Right now I do inform my clients through my website and contract that I am very careful with their data and it is stored on a password protected hard disc stored in a locked cupboard.


After lunch there was a mindblowing lecture by Kate Anthony on the future developments in Online Counselling. Through examples [videos]  she showed how virtual reality is already used in therapy and might be used even more in the future. I am interested in this but right now the technology is a bit beyond me. I just manage to get my avatar dressed in Second Life. Yet I do see the huge advantage of this kind of therapy. You can meet with the client in any kind of environment, a place they want to show you or somewhere they feel safe. Who knows in 10 years time we might be using holographic therapy, I do feel like the sky is the limit here.


The following presentation was very close to my heart. Chloe Morton and Jessica Shaw talked about cybermentors for children. They train children to mentor others and kids with all kinds of problems can find help online. Of course there are adult volunteer staff as well. So many young children are online these days but do not know how to protect themselves online and that way can get into huge problems. Projects like this are much needed.


Already it was time for the last lecture by Stephanie Palin on understanding online sex addiction. Again lots of new information delivered with passion. I now have a much better idea about when watching porn becomes an addiction and to understand there is much more behind it than just wanting to watch porn. 

We had one extra. A video about psychological counselling online in Lithuania. Vilma Kurzieme talked about her work in Lithuania in a pre-recorded message. It is great to hear about their work and I know how passionate she is about it! And it shows online counselling is growing fast throughout the whole of the European union.


Too soon it was time to leave. It had been a great day with lots of new information and meeting great people. Many I had already met online but it is so great to meet in person as well. And to make new friends. Already looking forward to next year!

There is still time to get tickets to OCTIA online counselling conference

If you would like to know more about online counselling there is a great event taking place this saturday at the watershed in Bristol, United Kingdom. Octia 2011 [The reason my blog post is early this week, I am flying out later in the week!]


Have a look at the programme to see all that will be covered. You can see that online therapists take their work very seriously and we continue to educate ourselves and talk amongst ourselves how we can work ethically online. It is a great way to meet new people and see each other in the flesh as most of our work is done online from home.

If you are thinking about attending there are two ways you can do so. Come to Bristol in person or if you are unable to come you can attend the conference online.That is what I did last year. Onlinevents record the conference as it is taking place and the realy cool thing is the chatscreen where you can interact with other people attending online. This chat screen is projected on the wall of the venue and makes you feel as if you are really part of the conference. Your questions are seen by the speakers and replied to. Well worth to try out. So you can feel part of Octia wherever you are in the world.

Here you can see me talking about my online experience of  last year's conference.

I will share more next week when I get back from my short break in Britain. 

6 pitfalls for Highly Sensitive People coming to the Netherlands

At the moment I am researching and writing an information packet on what it means to live as a foreigner in the Netherlands. While I am doing this research it dawns on me that there are several factors in my country that don't make it the easiest country to live in for Highly Sensitive People. Don't get me wrong, I love living here and there are also many good things about my country. Here I just want to point out some pitfalls for foreigners and indeed native Highly sensitive persons.

Image via Wikipedia

amount of land that would
be underwater without the dykes

Image by FaceMePLS via Flickr

bicycles should move as many as possible







1. The sheer number of people living here close together. There are more than 16 million people living together on a piece of land the size of the state of Maryland in the US. Drive 3 hours in any direction and you are in Belgium, Germany or the North Sea. And of this almost 20% is water. This means that you will often be surrounded by other people. Finding a piece of land that is truly silent and peaceful can be a bit of a challenge. So don't be too shocked by it and set out to find your haven right away. It can be done!
2. The Dutch Bureaucracy. We have a name for being pretty easy going and the country where everything is possilbe. Drugs, prostitution, euthenasia to name a few. But don't be fooled. If you want to get something done, prepare to have a lot of time and do not get irritated quickly. Stay patient and polite. For example the Dutch rijksmusuem was supposed to close 2 years for restauration. That was 5 years ago and it is still closed. Everybody wanted to have their say about it, we love commitees of any kinds. And of course cyclists protested when the plans included them being unable to drive underneath the building any more.
3. Cyclists bring me to another problem. With 16 million people and at least 1 car in every household you need a lot of patience on the roads. Be warned that cyclists are everwhere in the cities and the rules of the road do not apply to them. They will ingnore traffic lights, ignore right of way. What makes it really bad? The law is on their side, if you hit a cyclist in any way even when having right of way and a green light you are almost always the guilty party. So make sure you develop a 6th sense when it comes to cyclists and err on the side of caution. 
4. If you think public transport is the solution, think again... especially when it comes to rush hour. Dutch trains and busses tend to be overcrowded. When a train comes into the station staid businessmen will turn into warriors and little old ladies will use their walkingsticks to beat a path to the entrance. For any age it means anything is allowed to get in first. If people wanting to get out of the train first are in the way just push them back and out of your way.




5. Yes the Dutch are rude. Even to Highly Senstive People living here they appear very rude. We don't like hieranchy very much, so don't be surprised when even bosses have to be very polite to ask employees to do something for them. We don't know how to queu, will not stay on the right side on an escalator, staff in restaurants and shops will often treat you rude and doctors have no bedside manner. Be prepared for it in advance.

And yet I love this little very full country. We are also a nation who love their languages, were one of the first nations to have freedom of religion.


If you have other examples of Dutch quirkiness feel free to comment.

Related articles

• Guest post: the Dutch cyclist (cyclinglondononline.wordpress.com)
• Holland v. the Netherlands (whatthedutch.wordpress.com)
• Where To Look For Cultural Differences In Europe (searchengineland.com)

on writing an e-book

Image via Wikipedia

I have taken the plunge and have started working on an e-book. Over the years I have taken in so much information on both my specialty subjects Being Highly Sensitive and Living with chronic pain. Through reading online, reading books, talking to others and a lot through experiencing and growing from that experience myself. I feel now it is time to share with others. Some content I will put on my website [or also put on my website] yet there is only so much you can put on there before it becomes too much. And if you are like me you might not like to read from a screen for too long. With an e-book you have everything in one place and you can read it from either your computer screen or an I-pad or e-reader. [I must say I am quickly becoming addicted to my e-reader]

Next came the question what to write about? In my case rather what to write about first. And I have decided the first e-book will be for people with chronic pain. It is a group I feel so passionate about and whom I want to give easier guidelines then I had myself when I was faced with it over 10 years ago. So in the e-book I will cover such topics as:

• When is pain chronic?
• a pain-chart
• Become an expert when it comes to YOU!
• How to be possitive about life
• Setting goals 
• Protect your boundaries
• Good books on pain management 

Any good idea's? Please share them with me.

A very basic free edition should be finished soon, this will give people an idea of what to expect. The full version will take a little longer as I myself am now very capable in staying within my own boundaries and not get carried away with enthusiasm.

Related articles

• Myths About Treating Chronic Pain (webmd.com)
• Is Your Pain Acute or Chronic? (webmd.com)
• Chronic Pain: One of Our Costliest Health Problems (time.com)