Welcome to the January Newsletter.

This month we explore relationship with self and others, and offer some thoughts and ideas about relating consciously and from the authentic you. I have an idea that there would very likely be far less depression, stress and unhappiness were we true to ourselves and committed to embracing our essential nature. This practice would mean we in turn were more able to validate others and embrace and welcome diversity.

Reflecting on ourselves and seeking to have a good relationship with ourselves, listening to the thoughts in our heads, the ones that keep us from being in the moment, listening to them and once aware of them, bringing ourselves to the present will enhance our communication with others because we will be responding to the now rather than reacting to the past.

We are always communicating; we cannot not communicate. We are all connected to one another; we cannot not be connected. We are in relationship, with everyone on the planet. This thing we say about 'having a relationship with someone' is mythical in a way, because we can't have a relationship anymore than we can have a person. We relate, and the relating exists in the spaces between us, all of us, in our groups and in our families and in our nations. Once we let go of the idea of 'having' a relationship something in us opens as we start to understand that the relating is occurring all the time and the quality of the relating is each and every one of our responsibility.

Everything is created through dialogue, and every single thing in the universe came about through people joining together with one another or with some other energy in the universe. If you are a  wood carver you have to relate to your tools and to the wood and you relate in the space in between. So it is the spaces in between that we must become curious about, it is in these spaces where the magic occurs and the tapestry of dialogue creates the stories. We are all energy, pure energy and energy is always moving and changing and expanding and contracting and changing position and moving into the spaces that open up, there are no limits to where our energy will take us and so it follows that there are no limits to relating.

This month the contributors explore these themes and ideas and, as always, I welcome any comments or feedback or thoughts that may have been sparked as you read what I and they have written!

Wishing you peace and harmony in 2009

With love,