For today’s TV adventure, I’m talking to my brilliant friend, Oona McFarlane. Oona is a fire-walk instructor (and trainer of fire-walk instructors) who runs a magical holistic centre near Loch Lomond, Scotland.
In today’s programme, Oona talks about her relationship with fire, how she came to be a fire-walk instructor and describes what you can expect to experience at a fire-walk. She’s a passionate advocate of the healing and transformational spirit of fire ~ and she shares that sparky passion with us today!
You can watch today’s programme below. For more details about Oona, and to view the rest of the series schedule, just pop over to Jane Talbot TV .
On today’s show, I’m talking to my friend, Leslie Marsh, about all things shamanic. If you’ve ever wondered what shamanism is or wondered how someone gets “called” to be a shaman, then this show is for you! Leslie describes the tools of a shaman in a really accessible way and gives us insights into how shamanic practices can support a journey of healing and transformation.
You can watch the playback of today’s show below and find out about upcoming live shows and guests here.
Woo hoo! We did it 🙂 . I’m just fresh in from today’s adventure : hosting the first episode of my own live TV series. Today’s episode was all about finding your purpose in life.
You can watch me talking to my brilliant friend, Flemming Funch on the playback below. To find out about other episodes (and to watch them using the live viewers) just pop over to Jane Talbot TV.
Today I woke up with a cosmic adventure in mind! For my 105th adventure, I watched the live-streaming of the total lunar eclipse. At 08.45am UK time, I watched the eclipse pass into the “totality” phase. This morning I saw my first “live” blood moon. This morning I saw red hot dragon’s breath enveloping the moon. This morning I shared the celebrations, and awe, of those watching live in the Griffith observatory in California. This morning I welcomed our moon safely back home. This morning I felt connected to this small, wondrous corner of our universe. This morning I felt connected to all the people watching this celestial event. This morning I felt connected to it all. (I have the feeling that my adventuring is waking me up to the aliveness of my experiences. In fact, I am feeling more alive!)
You can hear more about my experiences, and my thoughts on the benefits of adventuring, in today’s video. You can also watch a time-lapse version of today’s eclipse on CNN here. I have also popped a copy of an Adventure Report from 2012 (talking about the Venus transit) below the video ~ I think it may make you smile 🙂 .
Adventure Report June 2012 ~ Stalking The Venus Transit
Can anyone remember all that kerfuffle at the beginning of June 2012 about the Venus transit? Sky-watchers around the world were excited about witnessing a cosmic spectacle : this was an extremely rare opportunity since only six Venus transits have been observed since the invention of the telescope more than 400 years ago.
Transits happen when a planet crosses between Earth and the sun. After 2012, we won’t see another transit of Venus until 2117. If you are reading this, it means that the transit on the 5/6th June 2012 was your last chance! And that’s what I thought when I heard about it – this is my chance to witness something that I’ll never have the chance to witness again. And the really magic thing about the whole transit was this : the very last place on Earth it would be visible would be Northern Ireland (where I live!).
Morphing myself rapidly into a cosmic geek, I trawled the internet for information. I found out where the transit would be visible, I made sure I knew precisely at what time the sun would rise (the time at which the transit would be visible), I researched how to view the transit safely and I got myself rather excited about the prospect of getting up at 3:45am.
When the alarm went off, I felt like Indiana Jones. With adventure practically boiling in my blood, I leapt (okay, it may have looked like crawling to the untrained eye) into our van, hauling my half-asleep partner with me. Wooly hats firmly on, flasks of tea brewed and all cosmic tracking equipment stowed safely, we set off for Murlough Bay (one of the recommended viewing sights).
As we drove towards the coast, we could see the glimmer of dawn in the sky. Nervous anticipation built the closer we got to the sea ~ a Starsky and Hutch-style evacuation of the van ensued as we hurried not to miss our chance. Ian put up the projector screen and unpacked a set of 1950s binoculars. We were to hold up the large end of the binoculars to the sun and watch the transit on the screen.
Secretly I was thrilled about the fact that no-one else was there ~ that we had this beautiful place all to ourselves. Eventually the glimmer of light grew into the glare of dawn : it was the most awe-inspiring sight you could imagine. Still waters, a clear view over to the Mull of Kintyre, Ailsa Craig and right around to Islay and the Paps of Jura. Scotland looked a pebble’s throw away and the force of the cosmos felt like it was growing under my feet.
Eyes fixed firmly on the projector screen, we saw nothing .No transit. Just the passing of a few clouds. And yet there was no disappointment. Why? Because I felt that I had fully seized the day; I had embraced the moment that the day had presented and I had enjoyed the excitement of the whole experience. I had felt like an intrepid explorer.
We packed away our equipment and stored this experience with all the other “glad we gave it a go”experiences.
Funny thing is ~ it turned out we were 24 hours early for the cosmic event! We would never have seen it on the day we went : we did get up and do the same thing the next day but it was white-out conditions with nothing to be seen at all (and not half as exciting as the previous day’s experience).
The lesson this adventure taught me was this : it’s not just important to seize special opportunities ~ it’s important to seize every opportunity, to seize every day. In the act of seizing, you can experience life in its fullest force (regardless of what is happening). Venus transits maybe special but they are not a patch on the possibility that every day brings to us humans. Every day holds life-affirming adventure for all of us : now go and find it J
Today is a special adventure : it’s my birthday and I’m having a wee treat!
After tasting champagne for the very first time, Dom Pérignon is supposed to have exclaimed “Come quickly, I am tasting stars!” Whilst I have drunk champagne before, I am pretty certain that I have never been present enough to the experience to appreciate this exotic liquid’s stellar qualities. I learned from my chocolate-tasting, wine-tasting, whisky-tasting and coffee-tasting adventures that I really hadn’t tasted these substances properly before : I was tasting from a ghost of a memory rather than really smelling and really tasting what was actually in my hands.
So today, my adventure is going to be tasting champagne properly for the very first time! I did a bit of internet research about the champagne I am going to taste and found a fabulous site called The Champagne Toff. On this site, it offers notes about what a particular champagne looks like, smells like and tastes like. I’m going to be tasting the Lanson Black Label Non-Vintage champagne (supposedly a racy number with a lingering taste 🙂 ) to see if my experience matches the Champagne Toff’s notes. Will I be tasting stars?
When we think of the words Customer Service Department, often the word “complaint” comes straight to mind! For today’s adventure, I decided to buck the trend and call the store manager of a local supermarket to let him know how brilliant one of his staff is.
For today’s adventure, I’ve been busy setting up the schedule for my very first TV series! You can view the schedule , along with details of each of the 9 episodes here.
As someone who has worked in the field of personal development for a very long time, I know that we often seek inspiration, information and advice from so-called gurus (many of whom we have never met and with whom we have no personal connection). I’m beginning to realise that there is a rich source of advice and inspiration much closer to home : my circle of friends!
Over the course of 9 short programmes (each show will last 15-30 minutes), I’ll be introducing you to my friends. They’re a diverse, talented and inspiring bunch and I’m sure I’ll learn new things about them just by interviewing them in this way. Even setting up the interviews, and writing the short programme thumbnails, has brought new life and depth to my connection with each one of them. I hope you’ll enjoy the sharing of friendship, information, inspiration and advice (and I wonder if it may even encourage you to acknowledge , and celebrate, the significance of your own friendships 🙂 ).
The show will run from Wednesday 16th – Friday 25th of April and now I’m feeling a little more organised, the excitement and sense of adventure is beginning to grow! I have the feeling of walking over the edge and I like it! 🙂
As I waited for today’s video to upload, I realised something that made me smile. Even thinking about adventure, dreaming about adventure and planning adventure feels like the real deal.
It’s day 100 already! Reflecting on my adventuring over the last 3 months, I am beginning to get in touch with a real sense of richness, a real sense of density,a real sense of living. It feels like something is distilling itself .. and it feels like it has a distinctive flavour. I just can’t quite put it all into words … yet!
On this 100th day, my adventures take a new turn. It feels like I’m crawling out onto branch of a very old and solid tree. It feels old and yet very new. Safe and yet very exposed.
If you remember back to my Invisible Counsellors adventure, you’ll be aware that JK Rowling suggested that I’d already written a book. Based on the insights she offered, today’s adventure has been about taking the first steps to bring a book to life.
Today’s adventure heralds the end of the “Tech Series”. This morning, I woke up with a feeling of some “unfinished adventuring” and decided to scratch the itch by attempting to use the YouTube Video Editor to add some text and banners to today’s video .
I think that this may be the first adventure involving swearing (relax – it’s all behind the scenes as I wrestle with the vagaries of the editing tools). I still had fun though 🙂 .
For today’s adventure, I decided to overcome my fear of the words “Advanced Settings”. I used to think that if I pressed any button marked in this way that it could only lead to technological disaster (and, possibly, the end of the world 😛 ) .
Find out what happens when I summon the courage to press the “Advanced Settings” button on my YouTube channel in the video below. You can see the effects of my geekery here ~ I’m actually quite pleased with myself!
Humans Resourced 