Beside the Sea Tidings - October 2025

October has been a bit like a Barista-Octopus in a busy Melbourne Cafe!

I began this post at the end of September ready to go at the beginning of October - but true to the headline - October did indeed become very busy! So many things have been happening both personally, familywise and professionally that I am only just sending this October Tidings now. Sometimes I need some time to attend to important people and events in life - and this Spring has been a flurry of changes, transitions and events. Indeed, our cafes are a welcome oasis in a hectic schedule - a moment of peace over a cup of tea, coffee or cacao.

Here it is already past the middle of October. When I take the time for a quiet coffee or cacao in the early morning at home, with birdsong coming through my open window, I appreciate calm moments of contemplation of the day ahead. I may pray, meditate or play the singing bowls - or all three and often am blessed and resourced for the day by making time for these actions. I also enjoy venturing out to a favorite cafe to work and just by being around others even if I am alone, I don't feel lonely. There is something connecting to my mind, body, heart when I take a first sip of barista made coffee or cacao, that draws me away from my own life toward others in a non-pressured way of a shared experience. In the light of many world conflicts this is not taken for granted and I hope that by experiencing peace and gratitude I send some ripples out to bless others and help to bring calm and balance.

Upcoming Family Systemic Constellation Afternoons/Days

• November 23 at 12noon - 5pm in Warragul

  
  

• December 7 at 10am - 5pm in Kilmore East

Please contact me for more details or a complimentary 15 min call to discover the suitability for exploring your issue or situation with this modality. Family Systems Constellations help us to see with a new perspective that supports moving forward in relationships, work and life with clarity and momentum. Your inquiry or issue may be attended to in either a group process or a 1:1 Individual session.

Read below for more details or to register. Or see: Group Process | Beside The Sea

Something More Personal

With increased personal family and work commitments recently, I was unable to email this blog, hence it is a little late as I needed to rest awhile to replenish energy and to shift focus and to refocus again. October has been a time of blessing and a time of endings - bringing sadness to my heart as well as gratitude for all that has been so wonderful.

My mother-in-law was diagnosed with dementia around two years ago. We have supported her to be at home as is her wishes for as long as we could. Unfortunately, we saw her wellbeing deteriorate as she could no longer reason with the changes in her world both inner and outer. She is now in respite care and resisting leaving her home that she worked hard to pay for. She had chosen well; to live in a court and get to know her neighbours - intentionally to ensure social connection and support. She has many friends who support her. We see her bravely socialising and opening the curtains (at home she kept the curtains closed throughout the day). We see her enjoying meals with others (at home no longer recognised meals) yet she cannot make herself a cup of tea (she was struggling to do this at home. I feel extremely grateful for the care provided in her residence yet struggle with the type of culture I am part of where we outsource care to our loved ones. We acknowledge the difficulty of caring for a person with dementia in our own home. I need to remember we are part of a wider community whilst feeling immense sadness that my ideal of family caring for our loved ones may or may not be achievable according to many factors.

We are also selling our beloved family home. Robert and I built this home together with the help of many friends and tradespeople. Over 30 plus years we added a dining room, a family room, bedrooms when children were born and created a garden that is so special to us. We enjoyed many celebrations and life events and riding this wave of change is time travelling many waves of emotion. We have renamed our home 'White Cedar' - for the beautiful white cedar, a native Australian deciduous tree that grows beside the verandah and can be seen from the kitchen window. It is late flowering; the leaves are growing on the bare branches and soon it will be in full lilac-white flowering.

The Heart Math Institute

The Heart Math Institute found during a 2008 Global Coherence Initiative that when people connect in the heart space together with a heart-focus on care and attention toward particular areas in the world that are experiencing disturbing conflict, crime and commotion - that by intentionally holding space for love and peace - during this time there is a reduction in disturbances, conflict, crime and commotion. This is the power of faith in what is unseen and of focusing on what we desire truly rather than focusing on what we fear. We are powerful together beyond our wildest dreams - yet it is our attention and focus that helps to create a pause - a selah moment - where peace becomes possible. Two of their four hypotheses indicate a willingness to hope and to engage in action that seems to make a difference!

See: https://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/global-coherence-research/#:

I like to think that being part of the Holding Circle during a Family Systemic Constellation workshop is similar - connecting with others without any pressure to perform or to be a certain way; simply to be willing to be attentive, open and responsive to the moment as a human being and to show up as honestly and as best as we can is all that is asked. In this way, we practice, a form of empathy called compassion - being beside one another without taking on or taking over or taking away from a person's inner strength to be resourced and to grow stronger to cope with their own experience in their situation. When we try to help too much, we risk sending a message that a person cannot manage, and this can be disempowering to children and adults alike. of course, we all need a helping hand at times - just as much is useful to us - then we in turn, help another - just as much is useful. Bert Hellinger expressed it this way,

Occupational Therapy

During the year I have seen many families coping with a great amount of stress in their lives as they juggle family, work and personal commitments, as well as acknowledging and dealing with modern day stressors such as cyberhealth, increased scheduling and school can't. I have also witnessed parents' efforts in working together to provide a home, guidance and nurturing to their children as best as possible. I hope they can take the time to slow down and relax, allowing some unscheduled space and time to just 'be' and when replenished, to 'be' present in a gentle way with one another.

Beside the Sea OT in November

I need to allow life to guide me as I slow down my practice a little during November for space and time for transitions and family commitments that need extra attention and care. In December I will be back as usual to touch base with all families and to wrap up a year of meeting and walking beside some wonderful children, families and adults - all of whom impress me with their resilience, fortitude and amazing attitude to living life. I'll be contacting each family by email or phone call to discuss November and December sessions.

Related to the study above: Teaching heart coherence to our children daily helps us to impart to them a natural action that they can do, to embody a heart-centred state of care toward themselves, their families, the world and others - without overburdening them with too much. Help them to be empowered by a small gesture and in turn, they will benefit greatly by developing the ability to ground, to breathe, to centre; to look within and to look toward others with care and to look upward in a healthy attitude of gratitude.

Such actions may include holding their hands in prayer, closing their eyes and imagining three people who love them or expressing thankfulness the hopes and dreams in their heart; perhaps going on a nature walk together, stopping to look at the detail of a plant, a rock, a stream; holding their friends in a benevolent attitude with palms open wide out or hands on their hearts.

1. Each individual affects the global information field.

2. Large numbers of people creating heart-centred states of care, love and compassion will generate a more coherent field environment that can benefit others and help offset the current planetary-wide discord and incoherence.

We have been to the Australasian Constellation Intensive in Sydney, and it was a wonderful gathering.

15th Australasian Constellation Intensive

During 5 days at the 15th Australasian Constellation Intensive at Crow's Nest in Sydney, Tony and I learned much and also facilitated alongside esteemed faculty and local and international guest facilitators. We enjoyed experiencing the work of both Organisational and Family Systemic Constellators with an array of background, knowledge and their own unique offering to the community. We were joined by a loyal group of Melbourne and Victorian facilitators including Catherine Ingram-Silver, Karen Tweedie, Dr Chris Walsh, Helen Younan Barrett and Devi Hernandez.

Tony and I presented on what we have learned together when Co-Facilitating workshops and writing a book together over the past four years. We also introduced the singing bowls to begin our workshops; bringing us into an attuned and resonant presence with one another and enhancing a coherent heart space for facilitating some beautiful healing individual constellations.

It was a beautiful gathering of people form inexperienced to very experienced facilitators worldwide including Sarah Peyton. Sarah gave us her insights on her findings on applying latest research on brain health and neuroscience and family systems from her practice of systems constellations. Sarah has a great learning and wisdom to share, especially around each of our relationship with our mothers and respecting our mother's essential self. Sarah's gentle communication and exercises beautifully led us into healing spaces.

See: Australasian Family Constellations Intensive

Upcoming Family Systemic Constellation Afternoons/Days

I look forward to seeing you at any of the workshops below. Read further for exciting news for 2026 and please let me know if you may be interested!

Sunday 23 November

Facilitator: Karena J Coller

Location: Warragul Natural Health,

Address: 83 Victoria St, Warragul, 3820, Vic

Time: 12noon - 5:00pm

Cost: $180 (concession places available)

All profits donated to 'The Midwife Project', Guatemala is welcome.

See: HOME - The Midwife Project Guatemala

Sunday 7 December

Facilitators: Dr Tony Byrne & Karena J Coller

Location: 5 Louis Rise, Kilmore East

Time: 10am - 5:00pm

Cost: $180 (concession places available)​​​​​

Upcoming in 2026!​​​​​​​​​ - watch this space - Expressions of Interest Welcome!

Family / Organisational Systemic Constellation Work 3-Day Retreat

Caring for Ourselves - Caring for each Other-Caring for Our Children

A dream: Along with a few others, we dream to create a space and place for us to be and learn together, to be supported holistically: heart, mind, body and spirit.

We would like to offer an invitation to see with new perspectives: to look within and to look beyond ourselves and intergenerationally to our families of origin, our ancestors, their lives and legacy, in a supported environment.

For those with children in our lives, to unwind, be nourished and supported and to invite healing of generational patterns and entanglements so that love and blessings may flow to the next generation.

"Heal the past, live the present and dream the future." Mary Engelbret

Suggested: 5pm Thursday/Friday to 5pm Sunday/Monday - on a long weekend TBD

Weekend One: for Family Caregivers and Caring Professionals; Organisational Leaders

Weekend Two: for Family / Organisational Constellation Facilitators / Practitioners

Location: TBC - considering - Brandy Creek Estate Restaurant and Day Spa, in the beautiful surrounds of West Gippsland, only 80 minutes from Melbourne CBD.

There will be time for day spa treatments including hammam steam room, massage and facials as well as nature walks, movement, affirmation, prayer and poetry to bring us into a connected presence for restoration and a deep sense of belonging and healing. 

On Saturday and Sunday/Monday, there will be an opportunity for individual supported processes within a group process of Classic and Movement of the Soul - Family Systemic Constellations. This process helps to reconnect and heal at a subconscious level and in doing so they: 

• help us rediscover our child within and to give him/her healing they need now.

•  address individual issues that feel stuck or blocked, that stop us from moving forward.

• address issues with caring for children in our loves; our own children, grandchildren or those in our care as teachers, godparents, carers.

Many facilitators and individual participants report worldwide - and with my own experiences, learned knowledge and individual and collective practice shows us that collective generational and intergenerational traumatic events and situations of the past 150 plus more years, can become stuck as unprocessed trauma in our body, heart and mind and that this epigenetically and via the morphic fields disturbs, affects or blocks a natural flow of love downstream from our ancestors to living generations.

In Family Systemic Constellation Work we can reveal the hidden entanglements, unblock the stuck patterns and energy and release legacy burdens that no longer serve us. We often carry these legacies out of love, yet ancestral goodwill, love and strength cannot flow like a river through us to our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews and those in our care when we are overburdened.

Facilitator: Dr Tony Byrne, Karena Coller, with more facilitator team to be confirmed.

Dates: TBA

Investment: TBA

Location: TBC

Please contact me with expressions of interest and following more information and payment of deposit, secure your place for this unique weekend retreat of for connection, healing and a strengthening inner peace to move forward in life.

Please let me know if you will be interested!

"Moments of heartfelt awareness, as experienced in Family Systemic Constellations,

help us to transform our life challenges into our life gems".​

Karena J Coller​

Caed mille failte - A hundred thousand welcomes.

Kindly,

Karena