People Pleasing
Waking up this morning to a message from Teal Swan, has forced me to face a part of my shadow that has been bubbling up to the surface these last few weeks. She spoke of futility and our self-denial of this futility in our life right now. These last few weeks has seen me carry…
Dakini Mountain
“Are you going to Ladakh with us?” That’s how this whole trip started. A timely text message from yogi Tashi on an afternoon tea break, where I was able to immediately turn around to my boss and demand politely state “I have two questions for you. Why are you going to Ladakh and why didn’t…
The Oracle
Those of you who have been following my blogs would have already read a little bit about a man I refer to as Pachen. Translated as “the brave one” in Tibetan; Pachen’s official title is Neyenchen Tanghla Kuten and he holds the esteemed role of personal oracle to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala,…
My Dark Night of the Soul
My dark night of the soul happened not long after what most people refer to as their ‘awakening’. It was a couple of days before New Year’s Eve and I was still recovering from a party session that I had gone way too hard on. My persistent hangover and depleted reserves became the catalyst for…
My Spiritual Awakening
My spiritual awakening happened not so very long ago. If you read my first blog ‘An Aussie in Dharamshala’ you would already know part of this story. For those that haven’t; here are the salient points. It was July 2016, I was working in a job that was eating my soul alive, little by little.…
Talking To Trees
This story begins in Sydney. Its 2017 and not far from my apartment was a little park nestled on one corner of a street that almost looked like it was an afterthought for the town planner who didn’t know what else to do with the leftover space. Every day…ok almost- nearly every day…sort of- I…
Opening My Heart Chakra
It wasn’t until I had been in India for about four months that something happened which I can only describe as the opening of my heart chakra. I had made a vowel to myself before coming to this land that I was going to start listening to the voice of my heart, but I hadn’t…
Dakini
It was on my fateful sojourn to a Tibetan nomad camp in 2017 where I was officially declared a dakini by Pachen (Oracle of Tibet). Details of this trip can be found in my previous blogs entitled “2 days in a Tibetan nomad camp”. Until this seemingly innocuous announcement had been made so casually over…
3 Signs Your Intuition Is Trying To Tell You Something
“I believe in intuitions and inspirations…I sometimes FEEL that I am right. I do not KNOW that I am.” …
Two Days In A Tibetan Nomad Camp- Day 2
The Puja Preparations for the puja itself started early in the morning with numerous tasks to be completed. Amidst a series of mini chod-like prayers, the ritual altar and all its accompaniments needed to be set up. One of the first tasks was the preparation of the ‘Sang’. Into a large bowl went over 20…
Two Days In A Tibetan Nomad Camp- Day 1
The Road Trip The month of July 2017 saw me travelling to Ladakh for the first time. Located in northern India, this place has long since topped my bucket list, and I was eager to experience firsthand, the glorious beauty I’d only ever seen in photos. My first glimpse of the land did not disappoint…
The Shaman
A soft silence envelopes the room as the Tibetan Lhamo (female Shaman) quietly sets up her alter in preparation for the task ahead. As I watch her lay offerings on the already full table I’m struck by the concise rituals that have obviously spanned generations in this lineage. The placement of each object has been…
My First Chod Ritual
It’s a cool winters afternoon set amidst the backdrop of the ancient ruins of Nalanda (acclaimed Buddhist University in modern-day Bihar). As with everything else I have experienced in India, this is a place of polarity where the serenity is in direct contrast to the bustling streets and chaos just outside the walls. The energy…
Spirit Animals
My personal exposure to the concept of spirit animals began in January 2017 during HH The Dalai Lama’s Kalachakra initiation. Amidst the crowd of over 30,000 people crammed on the floor like sardines- a cup of Chai in one hand and grass reeds in the other, we were given a specific task; “Remember your dreams…
Walking in the Shadows
“Soul work is not a high road. It is a deep fall into an unforgiving darkness that won’t let you go until you find the song that sings you home” McCall Erickson In what seems like an ever-increasing time of confusion and political turmoil we, as a society have come to a crossroads. Do we…