The path to self-realisation is learning about letting go. We have all to a greater or larger extent rejected ourselves and adopted a character to get by in life. What character that might be, depends largely on decisions over which we had no control: …

Chogyam Trungpa (who died in 1987) continues to be an important teacher to me. He coined the phrase “Spiritual Materialism”. The term describes a common experience; it is what happens when you give your ego the job of searching for your truth. The ego, …

As I have mentioned before in these pages, my childhood was one of trauma, abuse and abandonment. In the psychology of resilience a metric is used called ACE − Adverse Childhood Experiences (Experiencias Adversas Infantiles). The ACES score is a measur …

I recently read of a man who was released from prison after being incarcerated for 37 years. DNA tests showed that he was innocent of the crime for which he had been imprisoned for his entire adult life. It seems the police wanted to close the case; th …

When we practice mindfulness and/or meditation with an attitude of compassion − that is kindness to ourselves − we embark on a life-long voyage of discovery that is rewarding and immensely satisfying. If we don’t adopt this attitude, we run the risk of …

When we ask that question we should ask ourselves the question, what is it that we want in our lives? The answers that pop into your head might include such things as more money, a romantic partner, a better job, greater material security. To my way of …

When I talk about meditation I am also talking about what is known as mindfulness (which, after all, is a type of meditation). Mindful meditation is simply about intentionally bringing your attention to a single point of focus; something that is occurr …

Here we have a real ‘cracker’. So much utter crap is spoken about addictive personalities when in reality, the idea is no more than a notion. The idea has absolutely no scientific basis. Let’s take a closer look at this. Whilst I was addicted to nicoti …

The other day as I sat at my desk absorbed in writing, I became aware of a furious buzzing and bumping sound from my window. I recognised the sound as a trapped bee banging against the window, trying frantically to get out. I realised that if I didn’t …