Mark [0:00] Hi Tracey, welcome to the heart connection podcast. I’m your host, Mark Randall and it’s lovely to the in downtown Koroit having a conversation with you. Just by way of introduction would you mind giving a brief introduction to who you are and what life’s like for you?
Tracey [0:16] No worries. I am Tracey Mahony I was born Tracey Whitehead in Port Fairy a small town in Victoria. Here, I am not far from where I was born. I’ve traveled lots and lots of places all over Australia and done many jobs. Here I am back near home. I have my four grandchildren in my care now and that is what I do by way of work. Although I’ve done many things I’m very passionate about music, culture, and spirituality.
My Affinity to the Region I Was Born In
Mark [0:44] Cool. Being raised in Port Fairy, traveled the world, now back in Koroit. Is there a connection and affinity to this region, is this home?
Tracey [0:55] Definitely, this is home. I am quite passionate about the fact that people do need to go home. Even if it’s just to revisit as far as go ‘back to country’ and then they can continue with their life.
Mark [1:07] Tell me, the Heart of Connection when we’ve had this conversation, we had it a while ago. When you think about or feel, what happens for you with that concept, the Heart of Connection, what comes up in your mind?
Spiritual, Physical & Mental Health Are All One
Tracey [1:23] I like the idea that our spiritual health, physical health, and mental health are all just one. That is health. So if something’s a little bit amiss, that disrupts the conduit – the connectivity. We can become less efficient and I like to help people to be efficient with their words and their mindfulness.
Mark [1:50] How do you connect. What and how do you connect to yourself? What do you notice and what’s your process to connect to Tracy?
Tracey [1:58] I love to be on my own. I find one of my favorite things that I do, is I either go to the ocean, which is only five minutes from here. That’s a really big thing for me, which frees my mind and that’s how I connect to the real me. It is not about, “did I get milk and bread for tea or whatever.” The deeper thing – the other thing I love to do, is in my garden, so I’m very big on nature. Nature’s my connectivity. Nature is my God.
Nature’s my connectivity. Nature is my God.
Mark [2:28] Does nature ground you?
Tracey [2:30] Yes very much. So. I love to work with nature’s and put your hands in the water, put your hands in the sand.
Mark [2:39] What’s it like to experience the “real you,” as you’ve grounded in nature?
Tracey [2:43] I try to be the “real me” all the time (laughter). That’s, I suppose in thought, word, and deed. As far as, ‘first thought is right thought.’ I often say to people, I haven’t got time to muck about in that, I’ll just tell you how I feel straight up. It just saves us all a lot of bother. I do tend to find, that I can see when people are pretending, so just cut through that.
Mark [3:07] Okay. When you have that groundedness. What happens to the thoughts in your mind? What happens to inside your body, what do you notice? When you’re centred?
Tracey [3:19] I just feel very free?
Mark [3:20] Are you centred?
Feeling Free in My Groundedness
Tracey [3:23] Yes I believe so. I know a little while back I was actually off kilter, I was out of balance but I feel on back there now. There was a lot of a lot of stress in my life, as in, we all have daily stresses in some manner. I know last year was a big amount of stress for a long time. That makes it very hard to be you because you’ve got so much else going on. I think I felt like I was that, you know, popping in fizzing, instead of just being calm.
Mark [3:55] When you’re free what do you experience in your mind and your heart?
Tracey [3:59] It feels like jazz (laughter) – that’s a hard one to say. I do listen to a lot of jazz for that reason that it actually makes my being float.
Mark [4:13] When you’re being, floats, where do you go?
Tracey [4:19] Into the ether? That’s a hard one because I don’t believe I’ve actually had an out of body experience. This might we are talking about. It is just a sense of freedom within yourself and that is like floating. It’s a hard one to actually put into words.
Mark [4:39] That’s right. That’s what we’re experiencing with these conversations. As the conversation sometimes deepens into the subject, it is very difficult to put a cognitive language to that feeling. It can be an esterorical feeling sometimes. Some call it the woo-hoo feeling.
Tracey [4:58] Okay.
Feeling Free Is a Mental Health Free Zone
Mark [5:00] When you’re in that freedom, what to experience happens with your mental health?
Tracey [5:06] It’s healing very much so. Which is why I’m quite passionate about not taking drugs to mask things. In fact, the opposite to take drugs to realize or work out what might be the underlying issue and work on that and that is true healing.
Mark [5:27] When you experience disconnection, what happens inside your body and inside your mind?
Tracey [5:33] I find I’ve got a bit of anger as in I just get frustrated, which can be an angry frustration. Which is why I say I have to go out in the garden or go into nature.
Mark [5:48] To expend the energy out?
Disconnection Can Find A Space of Anger
Tracey [5:50] Perhaps. I’ve don’t ever really thought why. I just know I have to do it.
Mark [5:57] How do you bring – when there’s a disconnection, how do you bring the connection back to yourself?
Tracey [6:03] Ah. I suppose many different ways. Generally, I do know when I’m not together. When it is discordant. I know last year, I was out of sorts for a while. There was kind of was nothing I could do because there were too many things going on for me to get to that place where I needed to get.
Mark [6:32] The connection to others. How do you experience that connection to others? Do you search for it or vibe on it?
Connection to Others People Find Me
Tracey [6:42] People find me. That’s all I’ve got. I love being on my own and that’s one of my underlying frustrations is Oh, “why can’t they just leave me alone” (laughter) – In that people do find me perhaps I instill a sense of calmness in them or knowledge or sense of direction whatever it might be. I’m truly happy where I am, this is my place I’m meant to be here. I’m not meant to be somewhere else. So with that comes a surety a sense of I’m the right track I’m here.
Mark [7:21] Do people vibe off that?
Tracey [7:23] I believe so. I get a lot of people come to me and go wow, I really liked your house it’s just such a good feeling and I say it’s because I belong. I meant to be here. So that to me is connected as in I’m connected to my path.
Mark [7:42] Is it like the sense of self is broaden to the house? And your sense of self is not just you but it is?
Tracey [7:50] This is me, as in it is my house, my home. Even my family’s part of that, my dogs, this is me. We are not just one single entity – that is – what we are is all of us.
Mark [8:07] It amazing isn’t it?
Tracey [8:08] It is. Yeah. I have one of my grandson’s is an incredibly smart boy. I’ll often say, you know something about the ocean, and he’ll just turn around and go, “I am the ocean.” He says this about all kinds of things and I go, wow you’re onto it. Yeah.
The Energy of Our Connection
Mark [8:27] As we are having that conversation, are you connecting to the invisible energy of the story, as you’re sharing the story with me?
Tracey [8:34] Yeah, yeah,
Mark [8:35] It’s energetically there and it’s in the room.
Tracey [8:40] Yep. Right here.
Mark [8:43] Right here, right now.
Tracey [8:44] I love living in the present as in, you know, don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future. Just deal what you can deal with now.
Mark [8:53] What is the – do you let go of the connection to the past?
Tracey [9:00] No I think I try to deal with the past, is the most important.
Mark [9:04] Yeah? Is that, connecting? What’s the learning as you connect to the past?
My Past Has Taught Me About Connection
Tracey [9:10] Ah, I’m actually quite happy to still make mistakes. It’s good to know that you’ve made mistakes and perhaps don’t do that again. The past beats insides I suppose. Yeah.
Mark [9:24] Is the past teaching to improve our connection to yourself?
Tracey [9:27] I believe so, yeah.
Mark [9:30] Light and Dark?
Tracey [9:31] I often think that, yeah like fairy tales. As in, you know, there are people you meet that you must be kind to the perhaps look like you may be, wouldn’t be kind t. As in, that it’s all a journey. Yeah. Which is why I’m passionate about mindfulness. Be kind. Just be kind. There’s too much greed in the world because greed is the opposite of connection.
Kindness Is From The Heart
Mark [9:55] Where does kindness come from in your body?
Tracy [9:59] Basically, from your heart. It’s your mind that is using that energy? Yeah, so you choose to be kind. For example, just picking something up that someone dropped or whatever that may be.
Mark [10:14] What happens to yourself, to your body and to your energy, when you’re in that space of kindness?
Tracey [10:21] I become more enlightened (laughter). I love that. I love you know, reading what, like the Dalai Lama, and people that just, even Mother Teresa. People that just go just be kind. Their whole teaching is that, which is it a very spiritual thing, I think. It allays bad energy.
Mark [10:44] Where does that bad energy go in the energy of kindness and compassion and love? Does it dissolve?
Kindness Dissolves Our Negative Energies
Tracey [10:50] I hope so, yeah. I think it dissipates as it’s diluted and dissipates. Yeah.
Mark [10:59] How do you remind yourself to come back to that point?
Tracey [11:04] I often say, whenever I have a fit of rage, or whatever, I always go, anger is an energy. It’s up to us to channel it into positive energy. As anger can be very destructive. To be destructive, can also be positive. So it’s a sort of a balance, I suppose a fine line of always been kind. Being angry to fix something to change it.
Mark [11:32] So use it as a motivation to make changes, when you’ve made those changes?
Tracey [11:38] Which might see the greater good at the end.
Mark [11:42] What’s it like to connect to that greater good?
Tracey [11:45] Phew, it’s awesome (laughter) I don’t know. I just feel so super happy being me. So to me, that is, I’m okay with everything that I’ve done and everything I’m doing.
Mark [12:01] Does that take time to get to that point?
More Settled In Myself in Past 5 years
Tracey [12:07] I believe so. It’s certainly only been in the last say five or 10 years. Not even 10 years maybe five years that I’ve felt this good about myself. I always worried that my bum was too big or that I should have had a better car that didn’t break down. Whereas now actually don’t care. It doesn’t matter I’ve got to that point where, it doesn’t matter what my bum looks like, that I’m happy in it. I think that is a bit of an aging thing. No teenagers are happy because they’re still learning to be happy. Small kids are incredibly happy because they are they’re already doing it. They’re living in that present that here and now. I think middle age even your still paying off mortgages or whatever. There are too many outside stresses, as in, I’m still paying off my mortgage, but I’m happy about it.
Mark [13:06] I wonder whether sometimes, that economic – Is that economic anxiety that keeps us all in survival mode?
Tracey [13:14] Perhaps yeah.
Mark [13:16] Stops us. From drifting off or connecting to the greater good.
Being Business-Like DepletesMoves My Sense of Connection
Tracey [13:22] You do. Like I do have to be, you know, business-like. I have to and often say to people, because I’ve got my grandchildren in my care. I actually have to run a small army, which is very business like.
Mark [13:36] How would life be different if, 
in a business like space, you are able to bring more of the greater good connection with you?
Tracey [13:46] That’s a tricky one because business is the opposite of the greater good. Like in the greed and sometimes you have to be ruthless. I have to say, “get to school now”, instead of being kind. It is a juggle. It’s a juggle of being in the real world and being in your own world of happiness sort of thing and to try and make those two mesh at the end yeah.
Mark [14:16] Have you worked at that magical formula, to work at what that mesh is? (laughter)
Tracey [14:22] I’m doing that as we speak (laughter)….It is a daily struggle to you know. Some days I honestly just go, I give up. As in, I just let the kids go on their iPad and I lay around and just read a book. Which to me is kind of recharging my mental batteries as well as my physical self.
Switch Off to In Power Mode to Re-charge My Batteries
Mark [14:42] Have you disconnected then?
Tracey [14:44] Perhaps, in that yeah, I’ve just switched off.
Mark [14:47] Switched off but still connected but switched a part off.
Tracey [14:51] I am in power saving mode. (laughter)
Mark [14:54] Well I think that’s really important. My belief is and I jokingly say we’ve got between 85% and 93% energy in our bodies every day and we need to recharge. As soon as we walk out the front door, we walk into the digital Bronx so to speak.
Tracey [15:10] It’s grinding you down, that’s what I find. Some days it is a bit too much. So you do need to just switch down.
Mark [15:20] Do you have any techniques or any strategies to remind yourself to connect to your greater good?
If you can’t change it, don’t worry about it
Tracey [15:29] I think those are the times when I just say I think I better have a marijuana cookie and just relax, not stress about the things that I was stressing on. I learned a really interesting thing years ago, which was simply, if you can’t change it, don’t worry about it. That really affected my brain as far as that was part of my getting on the path to being happy within myself. I was trying to change things but I was worrying about a lot of things, that I had no hope of changing. You know about being an environmentalist. I still do worry about those things but I know I can’t change them. We all have to. If I give up, well that’s like everyone gives up. So it is a balance.
Mark [16:12] One of the threads that have been asking people in the conversations, is when you connect to that great good or as we individually each of us connect to the greater good within ourselves – Are we healing ourselves and I’m wondering what energy that has for Mother Earth?
Tracey [16:32] That’s an interesting one. I don’t know what to say about that one. I can hear the dogs barking.
Mark [16:39] When we’re – you know – when you’re in that space for the greater good and you’re feeling really good, you’re energetically putting out a vibration to the universe?
Tracey [16:49] Which is what I maintain, I do try to keep up. Often at the end of the day I’ll go oohh, I’ve kept so many people up on a bit flat. So I do understand that. I know there’s only like, little old me – sort of thing. That’s how I often think of myself. That my big hearts going to break this little old body. I’ve only got so much I’ve got a quantifiable amount of energy and that’s it.
Giving Love to Others Is Giving Love to Me
Mark [17:16] How much love do you give that little old me?
Tracey [17:19] Ohh, not enough probably. Not enough, I am busy giving it to a lot of other people. In saying that-that gives me love. So the peturality of it in that by giving love, I get enough love for myself, yeah.
Mark [17:37] That’s a connection?
Tracey [17:38] That sure is. I try to go on that. To me that’s also – that’s why I need to turn off and just have some me time. Which is recharging my – me batteries.
Mark [17:50] That’s connecting to yourself?
Tracey [17:52] Yeah
Mark [17:53 ] Which is really important.
Tracy [17:55] Things like, once every couple of months I go and get a message and things like that. Which is like getting a new set of tires on your car. (laughter).
Mark [18:05] Like that one.
Tracey [18:06] It’s important yeah.
Mark [18:11] When have a conversation through to the universe and the “All That Is” – how do you notice yourself connecting to the “All That Is” and what is your connection to the “All That Is”?
Tracey [18:23] Not even sure what the “All That Is” is. Sometimes I think that God is the ocean. As in I am very passionate about nature. So to me, I haven’t ruled out that – ou know, they’re very well maybe many infinite beings of all power, or omnipotence. Then I think no, they’re cruel. Whereas to me, that my nature is is true and beautiful and wholesome. Whereas, when I think about a God or Spirit they’re often malevolent. The “All That Is” but that made me think of the Yin-Yang that there is always bad to every good. There is always dark to every light. That’s the balance we have. So in people that we all have our our bad, it’s just that we don’t let that get out too much. Let the good get out, channel it.
Mark [19:21] When you talked of nature and just the word harmony came. It just sounded like or looked like from how I was interpretering it – was that sense of harmony. Whereas as the Gods it’s not necessarily…?
Tracey [19:34] That’s a clash of symbols and yet I’m very interested in in mythology in the way that many cultures have described their Gods.
Mark [19:46] When you’re at the ocean, does your sense of self, does the sense of ‘I’, dissolve into the oneness of the ocean?
Tracey [19:55] It’s more I feel complete as I’m in this complete picture of completeness. Kind of yeah, I stopped being me – I start being “it” but like I start being part of the world.
Mark [20:10] Looked like a pretty powerful connection to be?
I Need My Connection To the Ocean
Tracey [20:12] It is yeah and I need it. I know I’ve lived in places where the ocean wasn’t. If lived inland and I kept going “I need the ocean.” So that’s – I was born on the ocean so I was probably a very strong thing for me. I love to visit places with mountains and, you know, other scenic wonders, but I need to go back to the ocean. An
Mark [20:34] And it touches you?
Tracey [20:37] I touch it. It touches me. Yeah.
Mark [20:40] What happens to your mind?
Tracey [20:43] It’s free? Yeah. That’s about it. I actually love going to the ocean with people and then we walk along. We talk about things because it’s free. It is. People feel different than in a kitchen.
Mark [20:58] When your mind free like that, are more open to your Heart and Soul?
Tracey [21:02] I believe so. Yeah. If you’re more able to reach whatever problem might be that may be hidden if you’re in this digital grind. Yeah.
Mark [21:14] Does that problem get met in that space?
A ‘No-thing Think’ Along the Beach
Tracey [21:18] Sometimes it’s a bit more like the recharging the batteries. As in, I just need to go in and have a nothing think. A “nothing think”.
A nothing think – think of no thing, just wonder.
Mark [21:26] A “nothing think.” What do you experience happens in your heart when you’ve got that ‘no thing’?
Tracey [21:40] I don’t think I can remember. It’s that just because it’s a nothing. So I’m not really aware of it. It’s just a freeing I suppose, a freeing of all the little cogs that might get caught up and, and stuck in your brain. I like to think of my brain, as being this machine that has many, many openings and doors. When I can’t think of something, that’s just my brain shutting the door. Of course, you have to oil the hinges, so to speak. Yeah and look after your brain. Be kind to it which means, like reading and doing things for it like listening to music. Yeah. Pleasing.
Mark [22:18] The music takes the – does that slow some of those cogs down in the mind?
Slowing the Cogs & Doors In My Brain
Tracey [22:23] I believe so. Or it just opens all the doors and let’s every room in there, get some peace and light.
Mark [22:32] Is that a connection to you?
Tracey [22:34] I guess. Yeah. Well, it’s my brain. (laughter) so it has to be me. That’s a tricky one. It’s, sort of hard to talk about these things, because I experienced them I suppose. I don’t actually talk about them, so yeah, that’s an interesting one.
Mark [22:54] The more I wondering whether we talk about it’s how do we recognise it, we are going to close doors in our brain and open them and a lot of those doors are there for self-survival, I guess?
Tracey [23:08] Correct? Yeah. Yeah.
Mark [23:20] It’s how do we not lose sight – how – do we get caught up in all those doors?
Tracey [23:22] I believe we do. Yeah. That’s human nature, there’s so many distractions. There’s so much to do in this current life we’re leading. It just with all this digital hoo ha, going on. Whereas, 100 years ago, I can imagine life was much simpler in the brain. We just had to do a certain job, and you just have to stay with that certain partner and raise those certain kids, or whatever it was, whereas now it’s all it’s all just too darn complicated.
Mark [23:49] It’s adding too many doors in there?
Simplicity In Life Stops Our Dis-connection
Tracey [23:51] Way too many. There’s multi levels of them, so to speak. Whereas, we used to have to simply do these basic jobs yeah.
Mark [24:03} With all those multi-layer doors in there, we becoming more disconnected?
Tracey [24:08] I think. So. Yeah.
Mark [24:10] As you were sharing that story about the multi-layer and the doors and the simplicity back- in just having one job. It reminded me of the Indigenous dreamtime.
Tracey [24:21] Yep. I love that. Yeah.
Mark [24:26] Where are they in dream time? Are they connected? Where are they connected in dream-time? The simplicity of life – it’s…?.
Tracey [24:35] Yep, yep and that’s exactly what right – in the doing. Whereas, we’ve just got too much to do I believe, in this current modern life. We’re worried about buying a new couch which shouldn’t be a worry but we’re worried about too much. Even the stress we’re putting on our children, as far as, you know, you have to succeed – have to be something. I think, you don’t have to be anything, you just have to be happy with whatever it is that you do. Now that doesn’t come into it. It’s all about ATAR scores and you have to succeed.
Mark [25:11] Is happiness a mind concept or is happiness a heart concept or both?
Tracey [25:16] I think it’s both. It’s I often say, like physical health and mental health are the same thing – they’re the same thing. Heart health and mind health are the one to me, that is interconnected.
Mark [25:30] And when the lined up – What’s life like and what’s your connection like?
Enlightenment Aligns My Well-Being
Tracey [25:36] Well, that’s enlightenment, isn’t it? (laughter) Yes, as in that is when everything’s aligned and you truly feel good. Which is kind of like most days, I feel like I’m pretty good. I wake up happy. Whereas, 20 years ago I didn’t wake up happy. I woke up going got all this stuff to do. Whereas, now I wake up going (laughter) got always stuff to do, I’m so busy but I’m happy about that.
Mark [26:02] So that alignment, like an enlightenment?
Tracey [26:05] I believe so.
Mark [26:08] What would happen if you are able to string more of those glimpses of enlightenment together?
Tracey [26:14] You’d becomes super being (laughter).
Mark [26:18] You know, this conversation that you’re having now, it’s been repeated before. The Aha is it like a glimpse of? It’s that awe. It’s that sense of wow! That’s how do we string it together in our everyday life? How do we connect to ourselves? I’d be just curious, when you do have those “Aha moments” and connect to that, how much more energy is left available for Tracy? Is the energy unlimited for you?
Tracey [26:46] Yeah, because I know sometimes I meet people and just go wow! We’re, really connected in this way that I’ve just met you. I just feel like – when that happens, I love to go out.
Sharing An Energetic Connection Beyond Words
Mark [26:51] Did that just happen then as you said that?
Tracey [26:58] Perhaps (laughter) but then, if you don’t believe, it won’t happen.
Mark [27:03] Yeah, that’s right.
Tracey [27:05] That’s why I’m very open to that.
Mark [27:06] Yeah and this is really – because of that energy that we just touched on just then – it’s beyond words?
Tracey [27:13] Correct? Yeah. It’s very hard to say what happened.
Mark [27:17] (laughter) It is, yeah, It’s like at working on an intuitive level?
Tracey [27:22] Correct. I’ve always been very big on the fact that, I’ll walk up the front just because I know someone’s coming to the door. Use it or lose it. Be aware of it and just know. Sometimes I’ll walk up there, wow I knew they were coming.
Mark [27:45] You’ve worked through life. If you were to give advice to young girls coming through, what would be the advice you give them about the connection?
Tracey [28:00] Say your bum, actually looks good (laughter) as in don’t worry it. I think young girls really hard and young boys too. People are really hung up on their own image of whatever they perceive that they won’t be. Whereas, that’s sort of the opposite connectivity, that’s just superficial. A lot of people these days are worried about the superficial. I suppose but happiness has to be the key to it. I do believe that once you’re happy things happen.
Mark [28:34] How often do you come into your heart, to that happiness?
Coming into My Heart of Happiness
Tracey [28:38] I try to do it all the time. I try to be there. I’ll try to live there. It doesn’t happen because many things happen in my daily life but I still try to be happy about it.
Mark [28:50] It looks like it really settled. It’s just….
Tracey [28:52] It’s me. Yeah. And I do believe it is because of my belonging. That I belong here and I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing. So that gives me a great sense of settle.
Mark [29:05] Really connected Self, in that belonging.
Mark [29:30] Tracy, are there any other words of wisdom that you’d love to share?
Tracey [29:13] I don’t think I’ve got any at the moment.
Mark [29:16] This has been a beautiful conversation. It’s really fascinating to just go with the flow. We don’t know where it’s going to go. You’re sharing your – it’s like you’re sharing your inner wisdom.
Tracey [29:28] No worries, thank you.
Mark [29:3] It’s lovely to hear, because every human being we’ve all got this.
Tracey [29:34] We’ve all got this. Yeah, we’ve all got this which is why I say about toddler and babies. They just shine because they’re already experiencing that inner happiness. Then we just sort of lose it through teenage years and hopefully yeah, that’s why I guess old people look quite beautiful, because there’s serene and they’re happy.
Mark [29:56] The re-connected back to that source?
Tracey [29:58] So like you said, about a sense of preservation and survival that maybe we do need to just shut that down for a while to get stuff done.
Mark [30:10] Tracy thank you for the opportunity to have this conversation and it’s beautiful to just be in the space to connect to it. I don’t think words ever enough to describe what goes what goes on and I really appreciate the opportunity. Namaste to you – Cheers.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai