Beside the Sea Tidings-September 2025

Karena Coller
Sep 9
3 min read

Spring Birdsong - Spring Family Systemic Constellations

One of our delights of moving to Gippsland is waking up to the morning birdsong chorus. Many birds break into song as dawn arrives over the east. Just listening to their song brings me joy and a sense of 'all is well'. Indeed, studies have found that birdsong helps is mentally and emotionally restorative, although it does depend on the birdsong both their associations to our memory and actual sounds. Some sounds individuals may find to be jarring, annoying or generate stress in us, such as, the raucous protective call of a nesting magpie or the insistent call of seagulls (Begum, Tammana, 8 October 2020, Natural History Museum).

Wattlebirds, honeyeaters, lorikeets, miners, magpies, swallows, wrens, finches, whistlers, cockatoos, blackbirds, wood pigeons and my favorite, bellbirds ... the variety near us is seemingly endless with a habitat of majestic eucalypts and smaller shrubs such as grevilleas, and tea tree and grasses and reeds along the waterways.

I am grateful for their clear sunrise and sunset orchestral song filling the air and uplifting my spirit. Many studies have linked our wellbeing with the melodic sounds of birdsong. Dr Eleanor Ratcliffe (a lecturer in environmental psychology at the University of Surrey) ... in her 2020 study says, "People like listening to birds sounds which are quiet, high frequency or have a level of complexity such as a melody." I feel encouraged to play the singing bowls with nature surrounding me and with an intuitive sense of melody for a similar restorative effect.

I hope you will join me for afternoons below, to listen to the singing bowls and to participate on a human level for connection, belonging, place and healing. If you have an issue that is stuck or an inquiry on a recurrent problem, consider looking at it with a new perspective, experientially and non-judgmentally with me at a workshop. Details below.

As with many of our weeks, much can happen between sunrise and sunset and sunrise again - the last couple of weeks have been challenging for me in both interpersonal relationships, and with internal dilemmas and conflicts. Birdsong reminds me that hope 'springs eternal' and in my reflections I am reminded of the role of a heartful reconciliatory attitude when facing difficult situations truthfully. This and giving myself time to process in silence helps to give me the necessary humility to self-reflect and the courage to converse with others when necessary. More on this another time.

News:

An exciting development is that I will be sharing the work and facilitating workshops with my colleague and many other colleagues from Melbourne and worldwide in Sydney in October 2025 at the Australian Systemic Constellation Intensive in Crow's Nest and in Rotorua, New Zealand in April 2026 at their Aotearoa New Zealand Constellation Incorporated/Immersive. If you would like more information on these Immersive open to all levels of experience or self-journeying, please contact me for more details.

Email List Spring Cleaning: If you are doing some email Spring cleaning, please take a moment to consider if you really want to receive these emails - and if not, please press the Unsubscribe button. I won't be offended - indeed, I honor your choice and wish for you to keep only in your view what is most aligned with you and worthy of your time. This will also help me to be able to contact only those who are interested, rather than overly-bother people especially in this era of information overload. Thank you, Karena

Family Systemic Constellation Afternoons

When: Sunday 21 September & Sunday 23 November

Time: 1pm - 5pm

Also: Sunday 26 October, Tony and I will cofacilitate a whole day workshop 10am - 5.00pm - venue to be advised)

Where: Warragul Natural Health, 83 Victoria St, Warragul

Cost: $180 (Concession available)

Contact: SMS me on 0434 674 753 to arrange a 15-min exploratory call or email karena@besidethesea.au or register at: www.besidethesea.au

Our daughter Claire took part in this project in 2023. All profits will be donated to The Midwife Project through the Empowerment by Education program in lake Atitlan, Guatemala

See: HOME - The Midwife Project Guatemala