Transition

I wonder if my son gets tired of the same conversation over and over. People we encounter for the first time, in stores and around town, usually ask him, "What grade are you in?". Of course, he answers correctly, "transition", which usually leaves a puzzled look on their face, to which he can only offer as further explanation, "It's after pre-school, but before grade one".

His school created the Transition year out of necessity, catering to the numbers of children who are usually born toward the end of the year and whose parents are unwilling to send them off to grade one the year they are turning six. Interestingly, Transition describes our life completely right now.

They say that life is what happens while you're busy making plans, and so while both of us are experiencing a really transitory stage, with Brian seeking fame and glory with the creation of www.videosift.com (I am in awe of his skills, and excited that he is trying to build a community-based project, since that topic is close to my heart) and me wondering what I should apply my time and energy to best effect, some really wonderful people have meandered into our lives, creating a beautiful and rich story. Interestingly, too, these people are in the middle of some kind of transition.

There are our neighbours, braving the move from Melbourne to the Banana State, wondering as to the levels of foolishness that they have succumbed. Where are the cultural centres, the organic cooperatives, the political activists, the non-sport-orientated interesting activities to do on weekends they wonder? I sympathise with them. I recognise the sense of disappointment they express.

Those sentiments afterall, provided us with the impetus to take off overseas last year. We couldn't sit around complaining endlessly, we had to see if there was somewhere we might be better off.
I hope they stay. They have plans to enter the Eco Village, so they won't be our neighbours forever, of course, but I really hope they stay in Queensland. The only way especially for the Gold Coast, glizt centre of South East Queensland that it is, to achieve a sense of balance, is for more people like them, to make the move here. Don't get me wrong, there are many people here, whose focus is beauty and culture and a spiritual life, but they are scattered around the place and sometimes appear to be hidden in the woodwork. One day, we may even build a significant museum here on the Gold Coast!

This is a transition time for me too. I've suddenly found myself with a lot of spare time and this has forced me to look closely at the role I have been playing for the last 9 years.

I recently stumbled across the website, www.souljourney.net, read with interest about the Queen Archetype. She is the nurturer, the one who sees to the development of others growth amongst other things. She has a shadow, of course, that finds her performing this role, to the exclusion of her own care, believing that she is not as worthy as others to receive this care. She then pursues the path of matyrdom and manipulation to get what she needs in secret.

I've been watching Sophia's drawing with interest, and had noticed her depiction of the Queen on numerous occasions. I also noticed her fascination with acting as a Queen, from paying attention to the "Queenly' way she holds her spoon, to the many questions about the lifestyle of the Queen. "Does the Queen have to go to school?"
So the focal point of all this transition for me at the moment is recognising the Shadow Queen. I've never been at a better stage to regognise her. I've been her for so long now, that I didn't know there was any alternative, and now with children at school, it's hitting home just how out of balance my life has been.