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Showing posts from January, 2026

Reclaiming Joy

Every year my youngest daughter and I make our annual pilgrimage to the Aum New Year's Festival at South Head, north of Auckland, New Zealand. It is a ritual we have honoured for many years now, and during that time I have watched my daughter grow from a small child into a young teenager, right alongside my own continued evolution as a woman and mother.  The time we spend at Aum is filled with fun, laughter, music, dancing, connection, healing, and a return to simplicity. It is a time of joy. For four days, there is no cellphone reception, no constant digital pull, no news cycle constantly humming in the background. Instead we are immersed in artistry, authenticity, and self-expression in all its forms. Like all festivals, Aum is a coming together of people for the sole purpose of connection and creativity - a relief and reprieve from the relentless pressures of daily life.  Nature as Medicine The festival is held in a sandy, bush-filled landscape where deer roam freely, and ...