Coming back home ~

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It’s been a busy five weeks and a bit. 

First Portugal, and Fátima, and spending time with our friend Julie Stafford just prior to the launch of her new and astonishing global smoked salmon business. 

Then prepping the tour. 

Then the tour itself, where I was privileged to spend time with some remarkable and courageous people. 

Then the Cannes Film Festival. And meeting Julian Lord, which was a treat. 

Then Budapest, for research for my second WHITE WITCH : BLACK WITCH book, and to meet up with my two buddies – Balazs and Laszlo – from my 2013 Camino. 

And now I’m looking forward to getting home to Mudgee, and getting back into a routine again. 

I have my intuition film to finish, and possibly a new film to shoot, along with finalising arrangements for our next two tours this year – the Mother Ganga Indian tour in September, and the Bavarian Romantic Road Christmas tour in December. 

What was the highlight of the trip? 

I think it was getting to know some of the New Zealand carers on the Portuguese Camino. I learned a lot from some of them. I learned a lot about the nobility of the human spirit. 

I think as well a highlight for me was spending that short time on the Santiaguino rocks at the back of Padron. I found that time there to be a greater spiritual experience than arriving at the Cathedral at Santiago. 

There was also one day on the Camino when, for a period, I walked by myself and I felt like I was flying. Transported on angels’ wings. It was truly transcendent. I’ll never forget that. 

What was the biggest lesson I learned? 

It came via something very pragmatic – when Jennifer and I arrived in Budapest and discovered the airline had lost one of our checked in bags. It was a bag that not only contained some purchases we’d made – gifts mainly – but also some personal belongings which would be hard to replace. 

At the time the airline – a low cost airline (the fare from Nice to Budapest was amazing!) – had no record and no idea where the bag was. It looked like it had disappeared for good. But three days later it thankfully turned up. 

I learned from that experience that these things which you think have value in your life really don’t – and they’re not important. In a previous incarnation I would have been anxious and recriminatory and worried for those three days, and ruined my time in Budapest. 

That didn’t happen. 

I did all I could to help find and retrieve the bag, I then went out and brought those necessary things that were in the bag that I urgently needed, and then I let go of all emotion and let it be. And trusted that the bag would turn up. I didn’t lay blame on the airline, or the baggage handlers – I trusted that through their care and professionalism, they would find the bag and get it to me. 

Which is what happened. 

A big lesson for me. 

Letting go. 

And trusting. 

Soon we will be landing, and then I’ll have to acclimatise to a chilly Mudgee – but there is a lot of very exciting work ahead, and now after five weeks I have fresh eyes, and I feel I’m ready to see things clearly. 

13 thoughts on “Coming back home ~”

  1. Well come back to Terra Firma..cause you’ve been definitely riding on your magical beam.

    It was a pleasure reading all about it. Thank you.

    Something has been niggling in my head for some time. ..what happened to the Ireland tour???

    And don’t just throw out the teaser about your global smoked salmon business….spilllll!

    Light a small Love..Ingrid

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    • Haha – you make me laugh Ingrid!

      The smoked salmon business is Julie Stafford’s enterprise. Jen and I have nothing to do with it, other than we were in Portugal (where she launched it) just a few days before the launch.

      We are looking at doing the Irish tour possibly in May next year. We put it off this year because I needed to hunker down with the editing of my film.

      I can’t see your comment – have I answered everything??

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  2. Welcome home, just in time to adjust to the colder weather, which, after the longest and warmest ever autumn, suddenly turned wintry today … and that’s just here in Sydney 🙂 Enjoy the crisp air out your way 🙂

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    • Thanks Ingrid. We’re actually on the flight about to land shortly. I’m writing this via the Emirates Internet – where for US$1, you can get 500MB of data. Cool huh? I see Mudgee over the weekend is going to be maximums of 12C! Brrrrrrrrrrr.

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    • So very true Laurie. And that’s really how you should look at what might appear to be these kinds of setbacks – opportunities to learn and grow. Many thanks for your love and kindness. Hoping Jennifer and I will “return home” to the ashram very soon! With love, Bill

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  4. I may have missed an earlier post about your “flying on wings” experience — and yeah, isn’t it amazing when that happens ?

    Like I said — you’re definitely “getting there” 😉

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