About Peacefully
Titles & Labels
In our human culture we use labels to aid communication with one another. But in some contexts labels can be restrictive for a very simple reason: because when we habitually refer to something with a particular label, we stop seeing the thing itself and see only the label. The same holds true for titles we give people such as scientist, professor or mystic.
Much of the time, using a label to aid communication can actually have the opposite effect.
All words are labels and all words have connotations. But what makes communication more complex is that those connotations vary from person to person. Titles like counsellor, therapist, guide, coach and teacher, for example, will hold different meanings for different people.
I personally believe that humanity is gradually evolving towards being able to communicate with a kind of telepathic knowing, whereby you would be able to tune into my energetic frequency and instantly get a feeling-sense-knowing of who I am and what I do.
However, we’re not at that point yet, so we need to continue using labels as best we can, always remembering that the menu is not the meal.
With that in mind, I will attempt to describe who I am and what I do, using word labels.
Gurus, Teachers, Guides and Coaches
If I had been born in India, I expect many people would refer to me as a guru. If I had been born 20 years earlier I might have described myself as a spiritual teacher. However, when I was at school, a teacher was someone who told you what was true and later tested you to make sure you had memorised what they taught. That’s not what I do.
Instead of telling you what is true, I am here to assist you in discovering the truth that is already within you. Although I perceive the source of truth as being the same for all of us, how that truth expresses itself through you is unique.
Furthermore, how inner truth expresses itself in your life will change from day to day and from year to year. For that reason, it would be a huge waste of time and energy as well as a massive disservice to you if I claim to know the truth and try to tell you what it is.
Because my focus is on helping people to find their own truth within them, you could say that I am a spiritual guide or coach.
Enlightenment & Awakening
I know of some people who work with a similar level of consciousness who refer to themselves as an awakening coach, and I’m quite happy with the word awakening, so long as you understand what it means.
As I write books and articles, it would be fair to say I am an author and awakening coach, because I help people to awaken from the dream of false identification and awaken to the truth within them, mainly through the medium of writing.
Just bear in mind that awakening is not a singular event but an ongoing process. You may experience many awakenings but you are never fully awakened. The same applies to the word enlightenment, which is an ongoing process rather than a destination.
Lightworkers, Shadow Work & Soul Retrieval
I don’t use the term lightworker because it is often used by people who are practising a form of spiritual bypassing by attempting to “maintain a high vibration” and to remain in the light whilst ignoring the shadow.
Although much of the work I do could be thought of as finding the light within the dark, this era really is one in which we are all being called to face our individual and collective shadows.
Working with the unloved, forgotten and neglected aspects of consciousness is very much at the heart of what I do. If we are to move beyond polarity and experience true oneness, we need to recognise that ALL life is an expression of one underlying fabric of consciousness.
In a very real sense, this shadow work is also a kind of soul retrieval – because the essence of shadow work is to find the forgotten light within each of those shadow aspects. Our shadows are not bad, they are simply the experiences we have not yet learnt to appreciate. And within those experiences reside parts of our souls that we have temporarily lost touch with.
In a contemporary sense, I might be considered a shaman because my work involves entering into different states of consciousness to retrieve lost aspects of the soul, but I am not a shaman in any traditional sense.
Qualifications ~ The University of Life
All of my experience comes from attending The University of Life and from my own practice of self-enquiry. I know it might sound glamorous when people say they have travelled the world and spent many years studying with renowned spiritual teachers, gurus or monks, but that is not my path.
Ultimately what matters most is the quality of presence and integrity that someone can share with you. In The University of Life, there are no certificates awarded for completing courses and there is no fanfare to celebrate your graduation. Instead, it’s a quiet path of developing and strengthening the connection with your own inner being and the inner wisdom that is already within you.
On this path there are no initiation courses or expensive retreats in luxury locations. Initiations come through your own inner work and you will most likely only become aware that you have passed through an initiation after the event.
Onwards & Upwards
Hopefully what I have said here will give you some idea of what I do.
In due course, I may even add some audio and video content to supplement the writing, as well as offer some one-to-one coaching.
If you think I may be able to assist you on your journey through life, please get in touch.