Iona Winter

Category: consciousness

  • Parrots & Pay Equity

    This week while faithfully doing downward dog, I’ve been able to smell wet earth, for no particular reason. But it’s been coming up through the floor when my nose is near it. Maybe because it rained this week and our drought afflicted earth has slurped it up. Either that or…

  • Invisible Scars

    Most days, I am struck repeatedly (no pun intended) by mainstream media’s words and images from other countries, where sexual violence atrocities towards women and children continue to happen. It’s very easy to turn our western faces towards these countries or cultures, cast judgements or express concern, all the while ignoring what’s occurring…

  • Underbellies

    I looked up at the sky today through some plastic roofing, and watched the birds hoping across with their forked feet and soft-feathered underbellies. It gave me a completely different perspective. One I don’t think I’d seen before—or perhaps hadn’t allowed myself to see. I have a thing for birds, seeing them as messengers,…

  • Invisibility

    Someone I love dearly suffers (at times) from severe mental health issues. They are often rendered invisible, due to keeping a brave face on. I wish they didn’t have to do that, because then people think they’re ok all the time. Sure sometimes they are ok, achieving the most wonderful things,…

  • Pain Bodies

    I am reminded of pain, by way of my body today. I don’t mean the pain you get from banging an elbow on the car door. I’m referring to other kinds of pain, which collect within us and are often left unattended. Physical pain is perhaps more visible, and seen as ‘treatable’ in our scientific world. Yet…

  • Views

    Sometimes it’s difficult to know what to blog about. Like today. But I’ve promised both of us (you dear readers and myself) that I would write at least once a week (in this format). And being one for setting the bar at an acceptable level (aka not writing drivel for the sake of…

  • Foot in Mouth

    Foot in mouth: speaking without thinking. As opposed to foot and mouth – the horrible toxic disease we were petrified of contracting as children. Sadly, this has lead to a lifelong fear of cows and pigs—I won’t be a farmer in this lifetime. But I digress. Hmm, the matter of foot-in-mouth issues. As I go…

  • Assumptions and Reflections

    Often I hear people say, “I know everything about her (or him).” How is that even possible? As humans, we assume a lot about each other, loosely based on the small percentages we actually know about. But all we’re doing is assuming—aka hypothesising, surmising, guessing, or simply making things up. I can’t…

  • Responsibility and Absence

    I’ve been absent for a while. I apologise for the lack of communication from my end. Although I’ve not heard any complaints (because this blogging business is often a one way street), I do feel some responsibility, to post things for you to read. Responsibility, now there’s a BIG word. I’ve noticed,…

  • Privilege

    It’s been an extraordinary week. I could break that down into an extra, ordinary week, but I won’t. I’ll go with the former. It fits better. Soon, very soon, I’ll have an exciting announcement—but for now, the theme of privilege is what’s foremost in my mind. A priority this month was to…