The Highland Clearances has been something that I’ve heard about from a young age. My family are from the Black Isle and Sutherland and my Grandfather in particular had very strong feelings and opinions about the clearances. I suppose when something is familiar to you it can become almost invisible and easy to overlook. Read the rest of this entry »

I was reading about the effects of family constellation on the tribal soul the other day and it made me think about some of the things I had observed within constellation and ancestral patterns sessions in a different context. Read the rest of this entry »

It is 1942 and Italy is under German occupation. In a little village in the South lives the Costa family consisting of the mother, father and five children. The relationship between the mother and father is strained, they are both alcoholic and the father is violent. Money is tight and the father manages to earn a little on the black market, this he spends on drink. Read the rest of this entry »

I wandered through the arched doorway into the former church. I remember walking past the building years before with it’s boarded up windows and city worn stonework. It had been brought back to life by a canny businessman who had turned it into a successful bar, restaurant, nightclub, wedding venue and all round place to be for the trendy westenders. Read the rest of this entry »

I have just finished reading an article in The Knowing Field magazine about pets representing missing family members in family constellations.  This is something that has come up from time to time in individual and group constellations that I have facilitated where an individual has displayed a great attachment to a pet and often ‘sees’ the pet before other members of their family, focusing on the family cat for example and being oblivious to a child or partner. Read the rest of this entry »

I feel quite detached as I park the car at the underground station and walk the short distance to the bridge over the river. I am meeting someone at the bridge. She is something of an expert on prostitution and sex crimes in the area. I had mentioned my previous experiences with Pat Jones and we decided it would be interesting to take a walk down the river from the bridge, listening to the voices of the past and seeing if they correlated with her knowledge of the murders and violence that had taken place there. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes we go through phases in our life where we feel lost. Our sense of belonging disappears and instead is replaced by uncertainty about who we are, where we belong and the path ahead. What if these feelings we are experiencing are not ours alone? What if we are following the fate of those that have gone before us? The following is an example of an ancestral pattern and family constellations session that explores an individual’s struggle with his sense of self. I have not gone in to full detail or outlined every aspect of the session; instead I have offered some observations of the patterns uncovered and the resolutions that came to light. Read the rest of this entry »

Today I went down to the loch and had a picnic in the rain with my little boy. We built a ‘sandcastle’ on the pebbly shore and threw stones in to the water to make great big kersplooshes. Prior to the impromptu picnic I’d been feeling a little bit rubbish. A lot rubbish. And for quite some time. Why? I have been feeling completely and utterly blocked. Unable to write. Unable to sit still for any length of time and generally a little bit stuck. What prompted this? Did something horrible happen? Em, no. I signed the contract for my next book that is what happened…and then I couldn’t write. I’m sure I’ll laugh about this in a few months time. Read the rest of this entry »

The excitment of the week included my site and blog being hacked and wiped by our server…nice. So I have done my best to piece it all back together… All your lovely comments are forever lost, if you find this as sad as I do then feel free to read through all the words again and add your comments afresh

Mr Hacker if you are reading this…bugger off.

I am looking through her eyes…for the moment I am her.  I can feel myself sitting on the edge of the bed. As I look round my vision blurs and I feel woozy. I try to focus, to become accustomed to the blur and the trails in my vision. Read the rest of this entry »