Apart from having to spend three hours travelling from my office near Heathrow, around the M25 and up the A1 on Ostara, the day seemed fairly normal.

I had a ritual I wanted to perform, one that I would do normally at Imbolc, but the seasons seem a bit mixed up, and it was only at Ostara that I felt that I knew what I was supposed to be doing work-wise, following the sales force reorganisation. It is also rather difficult to perform a ritual involving fire safely when it is blowing a gale. So, at the moment, my corn dolly has not been returned, which is a shame. Hopefully, the weather will be sane enough that I may carry out this observance soon.

I can't help but think that balance has become more and more important as our lives become more hectic. We all play so many roles these days, whether we have a conventional job, work for ourselves or work supporting those around us. Some will have voluntary commitments, perhaps involving a favourite sport or activity. We have our families or those close to us, who may require both active and passive support. Despite the fact that sometimes it is possible to feel very alone, even in this busy world, we are all part of a web of life around us.

The question is: do we choose to be active in our interaction or passive?

Another way of looking at this web is in terms of cause and effect. Imagine you step out of your front door, just as your neighbour does the same. Normally, you don't see that person in the morning, so perhaps you might smile a greeting or say hello. What if something has happened to them that is making them feel a bit low. Your greeting might make a huge difference, or none at all. So, continuing on, you might smile at the guy on the office security desk as you go into work, or the girl at the checkout in the supermarket. They might think, as a result, that not everyone they see is a miserable old ****.

Cause and effect. Ripples in a pond. A vibration in a spider's web. An interaction with the world around us.

So, webs and interactions and balance. However we conduct ourselves, all the roles we play, we need to seek balance. Even if you are feeling low, try to smile. If your day seems particularly manic, take a 'meditation minute'. Stop for just a minute, a mere sixty seconds and listen to your own breathing. And if a minute seems too much, then take thirty seconds, but give yourself a breather.

Balance is that ephemeral thing to which we strive. It is not easy, and it can take what seems like a huge effort to achieve it. But when you do, it will be worth it.

Enjoy the rest of the year.