According to these films, you meet your other half and you just know right away you’re destined to be together and live happily ever after. The movies suggest you need to overcome a few hilarious and heart-wrenching hurdles first but then, from this point forward, you blissfully drift into a relationship haze, as all the world’s problems disappear. ‘Yes! That is the thing I need! A romantic relationship will solve all my problems and complete me.’ Or so I thought. I was soon to have my heart broken and become disillusioned. But alas, all was not lost. In this blog, I am here to reassure you that fairy tales really do exist. They just need to be approached with the kind of pragmatic self-awareness and astute wisdom that make for a really boring rom-com.

We are not yet comfortable with recognising childlike playfulness and joy as demonstrating spiritual mastery. Sure, there are times when it is unwise to let your joy flow into unbridled action but this is about exercising wisdom simultaneously. We can still let awareness of joy flow into our experience at all times. This can and will change as you give yourself permission to be joyful and stand firm in joy.

When you heal, your inner state changes and so does your world. You bring joy to those whom you meet. You no longer spew toxic energy out into the world. You become deeply satisfied and no longer have the urge to perpetually create and consume, in order to eradicate a deep sense of disconnect and emptiness. As you heal, as you move deeply into a state of content, you anchor the energy vibration of consciousness on the earth plane for others to attune to.

That pain initially showed up for a good reason. It wants to be acknowledged but it isn’t who you are. The pain is a side-effect of the really challenging things that have happened to you when you were unable to debrief those events in any helpful way. So, we can peel back the layers and begin to heal. I am here to help you be aware of that which does not serve you. We can shed light on the unhelpful past that is acting through you. As you observe that which is not you, you can step into who you really are, and begin shedding those old patterns. It’s true, this work isn’t easy for those of you with a seemingly insurmountable burden of past pain but I assure you, it is the most rewarding journey a person could ever embark upon. Oh, and as for who you are; ‘You are worthy; you are good enough and you do not have to do anything to prove your worth. You are perfect as you are. You are adored beyond measure.’

When I first began meditating at the Ashram, there was a covert norm that becoming ‘enlightened’ is a really difficult thing to do; it was only for the masters and you wouldn’t be able to achieve it in this lifetime. However, I have come to learn that awakening is for everyone. Anyone can become lighter. Each moment of ‘enlightenment’ brings you closer to who you really are, helps you heal and allows you to experience more joy in your moments.

What if, instead of a deep-seated psychological trauma related to perfectionism holding you back, you are simply gathering momentum, putting together ideas, collating data and determining the best way to approach the task? What if you are meditating on the best way to proceed? What if you are waiting for that wave of energy that will carry you to shore?

Armed with my best defence, I went to get coffee. As I watched the hard, angry faces impatiently pushing and bustling against one another for the best seats and first place in the line, I used my Gatha. I looked at each one in turn, ‘A lotus for you; a Buddha to be’ and offered them a glowing white lotus flower from the palm of my hand. Then something miraculous happened.

Planetary biodiversity today is barely fathomable. You are one such lifeform. There are billions, trillions, (probably more) lifeforms in this universe and you are but one. And here's the really cool part; you are completely unique. There has never been one such as you and there will never be another exactly like you, ever again. Please don’t discount the contribution of your individual qualities in this lifetime.

This is pure bliss! How can this be so perfect? Swept away in a whirlwind romance, you lose your bearings to some degree but who cares? This is magic and surely, they are the one…

… but then, almost as suddenly as it happened, it has dissolved and you are left bewildered and utterly devastated. What the…? Seriously! Did my heart give me a bum steer? How could I have been so stupid? I really thought they were perfect for me! How could I have been so wrong? Whaddup Universe!?

Weirdly, I was nowhere near the proposed location at that time. I wasn’t wearing blue clothes. I have no memory of accidentally taking a photo. There is nothing in the photo but the colour blue. The fact the photo was taken without a single identifiable object is mind-blowing. And the timing was astounding to me; how is it that I saw the photo when I most needed reassuring? For the rest of the journey, if anxiety arose, I would look at the photo and feel calm again.

I was stunned to see a man who has been the greatest influence on my spiritual awakening for the past twenty years suddenly standing before me.

‘Hello!’ I blurted, as I waved awkwardly; all the while curiously aware that my heart was racing and my palms were sweaty. Eckhart looked at me with his soft, sparkling eyes. He smiled warmly, revealing the dimple on his right cheek and nodded in acknowledgement…

During my twenty years (or so) of dating, I had many well-meaning people in my life say ‘be careful’ in response to sharing my latest love interest. It was intended as some form of positive advice, I’m sure. But they were saying something that was basically unintelligible to me. No matter how hard I tried, I was constitutionally unable to fathom this advice.

‘Be careful?’ I would say to myself incredulously. ‘How do I be careful? I’m not exactly going to meet a random stranger down a dark alleyway at night, am I? So what do they mean? Be Careful. Hmph!’

It is my hope that this new book will strip away layers of negative energy, the false layers that distract you from the truth of all that you are. As you read this book, you will come to know deeply how truly magnificent you are. The words are designed to connect you with the intelligent benevolence of the universe, of which you are a part, from which you are inseparable, that adores you absolutely and without exception. Upon reading, you will know this, not only intellectually but at a deep feeling level, with every fibre of your being. I am enjoying writing this book very much. There is a powerful surge of energy coming forth to bring you something very special and I am excited to share it with you!

You are capable of perceiving so much, in fact, that you would become overwhelmed were you inclined to give all of it your conscious attention. If you took all of the external stimuli in, you would go crazy but here’s where things get interesting. Your past experiences and beliefs are shaping what details you attend to. If you believe that people always reject you, for example, you will be looking for signs of rejection. You will notice behaviours that indicate rejection or you will be drawn to people whom you sense will reject you. You will notice signs of rejection more readily than signs of acceptance …

I was naive in thinking that each time I found peace, I had found final enlightenment. Then the past pain would rear its ugly head again. In those desperate moments, I found myself asking; ‘How deep is this well of pain!? and ‘When? When will it end!?’ Twenty years later, I no longer ask these questions. I no longer seek to be enlightened or free of suffering. I understand that each moment is a choice.

While manifestation techniques may not overtly express their scientific methods, there are actually powerful psychological reasons that manifestation techniques are effective in creating the life of your dreams… As you practice reframing you begin to see and look for things that are working out for you. Reframing can remedy psychological phenomenon such as deletions and distortions whereby you view your world through your past psychological conditioning and only see that which affirms your beliefs.

You are appreciated, revered and adored more than you could ever know. When you glimpse this divine and unconditional love of the creative intelligence that imbues all that is, you will know unequivocally, that you are worthy of all the good in the Universe. You are love and you are loved; deeply and truly.

Recognising that something is not working in your life does not have to be done with negativity; it can be done with presence and awareness. Sometimes in order to effect positive change, we need to acknowledge that something is not working.

…if everyone decided to move away from big business, big tech. and a disposable society, if everyone became resourceful, thrifty, content, overjoyed with the arising of consciousness from within, in a state of bliss with their mere existence, consumerism would die.

It is rare to be told that the measure of success is the level of joy that you feel. It is even rarer still, to be told that you are worthy of the feeling of joy irrespective of your life situation. In fact, you are worthy of all that is good, no matter how you feel and irrespective of whether you are aware of the joy that is ever-present (although not always noticed) within you.