by Kara-Leah Grant When I was twelve years old I started a long short story - more of a novellete - about a young woman snatched from her home who finds herself in this other-worldly detention centre for teenagers. She's feisty as all hell, and makes a break for it with one of the other teenagers - a boy. As she and the boy go on the run, most of the action revolves around their relationship, which is fiery as all hell. Their banter is antagonistic, she gets mad at him often and isn't shy … [Read more...]
A Review of Wanderlust Great Lake Taupo 2016
by Kara-Leah Grant Holy Wanderlust. What a trip. It began like it ended last year - with Pete Longworth. We’ve become amazing friends over the last year since meeting at Wanderlust Great Lake Taupo 2015 (one of the best things about this gathering - the quality of friendships you form) and this year, Pete flew out early to hang with me. We drove over on Wednesday, stopping at Kerosene Creek to do a four hour photo shoot. There’s almost a novel in that experience alone. Suffice to say that I p … [Read more...]
Confessions of an ex-relationship manipulator and control freak
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Ok, the headline is harsh. I admit it. But also true. See, over the last while, I've been working with a relationship pattern (a samskara) of giving away my power by not speaking my truth because I was afraid of the consequences. It's an insidious pattern because it has all kinds of detrimental effects on one's self-esteem, and the relationships one is in. Plus it creates suffering as the desire to hold on to something while betraying oneself can o … [Read more...]
The joy hidden within chaos
by guest author Peter Fernando, Meditation and Mindfulness On the surface of things, spirituality can seem to be about control, right? 'Mind Control' perhaps. Or 'Body Control'? On the far end of the spectrum you even get teachings suggesting that the point of life is to have ultimate control over the universe. Sounds good, doesn't it? But is that what 'spirituality', or more accurately, freedom is about? I personally wonder if it is. What could be more gratifying to our ego than … [Read more...]