My new book ***

So, finally, the first in a series of healing books ...

*** On the 9th June 2016, I will be releasing my new book - ***Cannabis and Healing*** to mark the birthday, and in honour of, my beloved friend and adopted sister, Linsey Dagger, who died of cancer in 2010 aged 33. If only I had known then what I know now... but then, every loss has a reason for being. Hers was to keep me firmly on the path of natural medicine.

I know it's been a while since I wrote anything really worthwhile but many of you may be happy to know that I still continue to, quietly, research and practice Naturopathy and Holistic Healing with my clients. 

Those, of you, who really know me also know my stand against corporate pharmaceutical companies with agendas, and that doesn't fade. So, naturally, my book is not without a touch of activism. Healing is available everywhere in nature, we just need to know where to look and how to use the beneficial properties each plant holds.

When I've finished editing it, I will post a short extract as a teaser.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me, sent me articles, testimonials and inspired me in whatever ways. My love to you

Perhaps we should try something different

I’ve been attacked and bullied recently for my controversial posts surrounding the mysterious, and very probably, false flag events that took place in Paris. Although it hurts, luckily I’m wise enough to understand that people have a tendency to lash out in fear and when they feel helpless. 

It would be very easy for me to sit back like many others, enjoy my quiet life, not worry too much about anything that doesn’t directly affect me, turn a blind eye or, even worse, live in denial or not give a toss. After all, why on earth would I want to put myself in the firing line for being hurt or bullied?

Well, it’s very simple ... because, I care.

Over the long number of years I’ve been on social media and travelling around the world, I’ve met hundreds of thousands of people and I’ve seen a lot of you grow up, get married and have children of your own. Some of you have beautiful grandchildren. I care about you and I care about them. I care about what kind of world we’re leaving for the future. I care about what happens to our planet. 

 

So, I will take the pain and lashings you wish to throw at me but I will NOT apologise for standing up for humanity and I, certainly, will NOT apologise for posting what I feel is closer to the truth than what the mainstream media is telling us. 

 

What has baffled me is, I have also been accused of “protecting evil.” I have yet to understand why. Perhaps it’s because I felt the same sadness and compassion for the deaths sustained in the Lebanon attacks as I did for France and, also, for the ongoing struggle the Syrian people are facing. 

 

In my eyes, we’re all children of the same source. There is only one source we come from and one thing alone that creates us and brings us into being. Realistically, our mother is responsible for bringing us into this world. The energy/soul/prana - whatever you want to call it, comes from the Universe. You can call the original source of our being whatever you like. Quite frankly, it’s indifferent to me because it would never stop me from respecting you or liking you as a person. Personally, I choose to call it love because it is an act of love that brings us into being. 

 

I don’t care what your nationality is. It’s a label given by a system that sees the NEED to identify you. I don’t care what your religion is. Religion does not define a person. A person is defined by their deeds in the world. You’re either a good person or you’re not. I choose to believe that people are fundamentally good. Of course, there are crackpots out there, that we label as terrorists, but they certainly are not acting in accordance with any religion. 

 

The KKK slaughtered people because of the colour of their skin. Do they represent Christianism? I don’t think so. They certainly don’t represent any Christians I know. The crusaders slaughtered thousands, do they represent Catholics? I don’t think so - not the ones I know. Buddhists are killing Muslims, do they represent Buddhism? Well, certainly not the kind of Buddhism I have been taught nor the Buddhists I know. 

 

In this aftermath of Paris and Lebanon, the good people of the world should be coming together stronger than ever. Instead, we’re already seeing businesses refusing to allow Muslim clients into their premises. We’re seeing taunting and provocations. 

 

I understand that fear motivates people to behave in ways that would not ordinarily be a part of their character. Events like this bring the best and the worst out in people. Yet, this is exactly what governments want. They want to create a divide between us. They want our blood boiling and our hatred flowing because it gives them free reign to do what the hell they want to. They don’t need our permission to bomb Syria again because they know that while we’re outraged, we’ll delight in any hostile action because they lead us into a false sense of security; making us think everything will be ok. It won’t, and we’re foolish to believe it will. 

 

All these attacks will do is create a cold hard line between NATO and the Shanghai cooperation, between Muslims and the rest of the world, between those of us who believe there is another way and those who are seeking revenge with further bloodshed. 

 

People, who under normal circumstances, would get along, already find themselves bickering and fighting and taking sides. Friendships are being put to the test. People are having to apologise for their ideologies. 

 

Let’s not forget here that, ideologies are just that - ideas - They are about as permanent as clouds passing in the sky. Similarly, allegiances around the world will change depending on who has more power, more money and more weapons. Economics and resources will dictate who has the upper hand. 

 

If we, as human beings, cannot stand together at a time like this, on the basis of who we are as individuals living in a collective, interdependent and interconnected global society then there will be no hope left. We will enter into a third world war. Is that what you really want for your children and grandchildren? 

 

We must, especially now, remember that terrorists are just that - terrorists - They are not acting in the name of any religious order. They are acting on behalf of crackpots who are in this for their own personal gain and glory. Most of these terrorists are contracted mercenaries. They have no loyalties to anyone except themselves and money. 

 

Have you ever been to Turkey? Tunisia? Egypt? Morocco? Dubai? Jordan? Abu Dhabi? Sharjah? or any other Muslim country on holiday? If you have, then you know that these terrorists are NOT representing Islam nor Muslims. In fact, I know that many of my closer friends among you enjoyed your holiday, found the hospitality impeccable and couldn’t wait to go back. So, please, don’t let these staged events in Paris cloud your judgment. 

 

Now, more than ever, we need to stand together simply as people who want to have a quiet life and watch our families and friends be happy. Hatred and violence only causes more of the same, and it’s clearly not working. Perhaps, this time, we the people should try something different.

Don't stop fighting

Today, I got a message from a person I consider to be very beautiful, smart, funny and one of life’s great survivors; telling me they wanted to end their life. Whether it was a genuine threat, or a cry for help, I don’t know... but I’m very hardcore when it comes to issues like this. I don’t mean to sound unsympathetic or cold, because I’m not. I know the person in question will read this.

I understand depression. I understand wanting to end it all and take an exit card. I’ve been there. I’ve been to the darkest corners of me and the bottom of the pit more times than I care to remember.

The latest being, and those who know the story, will know that I wanted to give my life to save that of a person who was the world to me; a sister and a friend. I would pray every day, to whoever was listening, that she recovered and that I should get sick in her place, but it doesn’t work like that.

When she died, at the age of 33, a part of me died too. I lost interest in every aspect of living. I was a walking dead person. I quit my life, stopped singing, stopped practicing natural medicine, moved country and started over again from nothing. Yet, nothing helped. Five years on, it is still the hardest thing I’m having to deal with. It was especially painful for me because I did die after I fell 200 meters off a mountain. To this day, nobody knows how I came back to life. There is no rhyme or reason of why I survived.

Life seemed very unfair that a mother of two beautiful girls should be taken from this world, when me, a single young woman should still be alive. I even blamed myself for her passing, because for all that I’m a trained healer and for all the successful healing I’ve administered to other people, I couldn’t save the one person I desperately wanted to. She turned to me and I let her down. I failed her.

After she died, I went through all the phases of sadness, numbness, anger, resentment, self hatred, self pity, tiredness and so much more. Yet, the truth, as horrible as it is to accept, is that I couldn’t save her. We are all given a certain amount of time on this planet and, as much as I’d like to be, I am no kind of God. I can’t cure everyone.

Amid the inner turmoil and ugliness that came to the surface, after my friend’s death, I even had to ask myself honestly: “At what point does the grieving become about me and not truly about the lost loved one?”

Yet, despite everything life has thrown at me, and trust me, there’s been plenty of it, I understand one thing very clearly. I am still here for a purpose and that purpose goes way beyond any desires I may have for my life. It goes beyond my very existence as I “think” it should be. That goes for everyone else too. We are all here for a purpose far greater than just ourselves. We all need one another. We influence one another in ways we don’t even know. We’re all links in a chain. We hold each other together.

Personally, I don’t feel that life is difficult nor do I feel that it’s easy, but, one thing is certain, it is exactly what we make of it. We choose how to deal with life’s events. We decide how to react. Our thoughts mould our actions and our actions create our life. We choose how much importance, or not, to give to situations and people.

After travelling so much around the world and volunteering in so many countries under some of the saddest circumstances, I strongly believe that to be alive is such a privilege. To be a human being and to be alive is an enormous privilege because we have every opportunity in the world before us. The possibilities are infinite. The only limiting factor is our own imagination. I also feel that in the western world we are privileged beyond belief compared to our brothers and sisters in the orient.

I also know that if I had taken my life when I was tired of fighting, I would never have been able to make a tiny difference in the lives of so many people around the world. If I do nothing else with my life, at least I know what my purpose here is, and honestly speaking, the only thing that still makes me get out of bed in the mornings, and be grateful to still be alive, is knowing that I can make that difference in the life of someone and that I can gift them with a little moment of happiness.

You’re tired of fighting? - Many people would still love to be alive to fight. Every day people are dyeing of something and I bet they wished they could still have another day to fight. Many other people are tired too but they don’t give up. They don’t quit and you are not a quitter. You just need to find your purpose. You need to find that one reason for getting up in the morning and to continue fighting every day.

Life is short enough and no, it might not be easy but you just need to take baby steps - one at a time. Bravely and boldly, and if you fall, so what? The important thing is to keep trying.

We the People - What's going on in the world - Alternative news and Views

We the People - What’s going on in the world?

For a long time now, I’ve been staying away from politics, conspiracy truths and anything that put me in a position of being shot down in flames - as has happened in the past. Too many times, when I had my radio show: “We The People”, I was accused of talking a load of crap.

However, time is an amazing thing and, since I’ve been silent, most of my predictions have come true - even down to Putin being nominated as a Nobel Peace Prize winner. I don’t know why but I can almost predict, without any doubts at all, what the next move of the NWO is going to be. If you don’t believe me, or if you’re new to my political rants and raves, please check out my youtube channel.

So, what’s going on in the world? ... well, we have a refugee crisis. I think everyone knows that by now. One million people were evacuated in Chile during a horrendous earthquake. Why is nobody talking about that? Are Chileans of less value than refugees?

Or, is it that, as per usual, we’re being distracted?

On several radio shows I have had the honour of being on, in particular The Mind Set Central and We the People, it’s been mentioned time and time again that there is a depopulation plan in progress. My question is, why does nobody associate the “so called” natural disasters with this plan? 

As crazy as it may seem to you, the reader, I have a theory about all these natural disasters and there is NOTHING natural about them. The culprits? HAARP, EISCAT, secret military operations, fracking - I dare say, which coincidently isn’t just about the gas being sold to China, but also about building a complex system of underground tunnels. To what purpose? That will be revealed in good time. However, if there was one thing the US and the UK learned from Iraq and Sadam Hussein’s regime, it was how to build an amazing city of connecting underground tunnels.

Well actually, truth be known, and I loathe to dispute the Daily Mail who said otherwise, Sadam didn’t build them. Keep that under wraps though. Not a lot of people know that because our governments never tell the truth nor does the mainstream media. However, the real companies behind the fictitious lie were, just for the record, the Parson’s Corporation from sunny California; Aeroinzenjerin, a Serbian Engineering company and a British company who’s name escapes me right now.

Now, if I was a true conspiracy theorist, and having read extensively about tunnel warfare, I would say that these connecting tunnels, caused by fracking,  will serve the purpose of protecting the privileged few who will escape a nuclear attack one day. In other words, they will protect the elite against an almighty world war like nothing ever seen before in the history of humanity. Unless we change our ways, it will come and the only human beings left standing will be the 1% of rich elite who can afford to buy their way into the protective tunnels. Should anyone survive above land, they will be forced to live in such harsh conditions that life will become impossible.

You think I’m exaggerating? Just look around you and see all the hatred fuelling up in all directions. Look at how we are becoming so divided as people, it’s always a question of us and them. I’m not even sure who the “us” is anymore nor who “them” is. There is just too much racism and hatred everywhere. Even within the same culture, there are so many opposing national groups challenging each other with hatred fuelled motives. And, guess what? The likes of the Bilderbergs are loving it. This elite 1% are very happy to leave us to fight among ourselves and to kill each other. All they do is throw a little fuel on the fire, via the media, touching our very sensitivities to the core, then they can sit back, wash their hands of it and watch the population decrease on its own. It’s a genius plan. It’s a plan that requires no effort, at all, except a little public relations and marketing propaganda.

Why is it so successful? Because there are too many people in this world who are gullible and still believe that the government has our best interest at heart, because the elite know exactly what makes us tick. They’ve been collecting psychological data on us for centuries.; and because there are still people who think the media has a duty to diligently and independently report news back to us. Not so. All major and most minority news reporting agencies have sold out because what counts is ratings and not ranting about the truth. The truth? ... There is also the fact that many people don’t want to hear the truth because they can’t handle it.

Remember when I predicted Putin would be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize? I was called a f***ing crazy nut. Yet, 2 months after my prediction, low and behold, he was nominated. It’s time we woke up to the fact that everything our governments do is just a massive public relations exercise to hold public opinion on their side.

You hate refugees? Well, how many do you know? Is your hatred towards them based on what the media are telling you to believe about them? Or, do you actually know them and have made your own mind up through your own PERSONAL experience. I know refugees, not Syrian ones, but I know other Muslim refugees and trust me, most of the negative views of them comes from media propaganda designed to play on your fears. 

However, I’m getting distracted. What else has happened in the news lately? Well:

Russia and China were on a mission to take the dollar out of their trading. Then, suddenly, the US declared they were going to protect Iran’s Nuclear project with a lot of umming and aaaing, just to please their Israeli friends who they don’t want to upset. Then, finally, Saudi Arabia was appointed to head a UN Human rights council.

Now, to the average person out there, all these independent events may seem completely unrelated and all outrageous given the US’s persistent sanctions on Russia and Iran and, of course, Saudi’s own track record of human rights issues

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but all these “seemingly random” events are, in fact, very well connected. Why? Well, let me enlighten you a little bit. 

Russia and China are part of an organization called the Shanghai Cooperation. One of the observing member states is Iran. Who should have a foot in the door as well? Saudi Arabia, but in all fairness, they only ever look out for themselves. They have no loyalties except unto themselves, their wealth, their greed and a total reform of Islam that, again, nobody is talking about. This is why they will not take any refugees from Syria. They don’t care about them. They have no value to them.

It goes a lot deeper than that, but I don’t want to bore anyone. Let’s just say that changing regimes in different countries is in their interest, for oil, as much as any other countries. Their own oil reserves won’t last forever. So, they have to find new ways to stay in the luxury they are accustomed to. If that means allowing foreign countries to kill their Muslim brothers and sisters. Then, so be it. 

Is anyone really so naive to believe that if Saudi had wanted to, they couldn’t have stopped half the wars against Muslims in the world? ... Does anyone truly believe that these hate preaching immams would still be allowed to continue if Saudi Arabia, home of the Holy Mecca, stepped in? As long as it doesn’t affect them, they just don’t care.

Another well known fact about Saudi Arabia is that they have always plowed money into the US government and probably the British one too. I think it’s Tony Blair who, in fact, lives among the wealthiest Arabs in London. No hatred and discrimination there then. Just saying.

Anyway, coming back to the news. Should Russia and China eliminate the dollar, things would go downhill and pretty fast for a lot of countries. Allegiances, alliances and trade agreements would soon change course. The US and the UK may find themselves isolated. The EEU could, potentially, fall.  That would not be good for any country’s economy; especially Germany, which currently has, probably, the strongest economy in Europe.

So, I personally think, in light of all this information, there is a little of: “You scratch my back and we’ll scratch yours” going on among the super powers right now. Russia and China don’t eliminate the dollar as long as Iran is given free reign over its nuclear program and Saudi get to head a UN Human rights panel. What’s wrong with this picture?

Oh, and I almost forgot, Saint Putin is now going into Syria to sort out the ISIS problem. I still think he’ll eventually win the Nobel Prize award for saving the day.

Of course, the ISIS problem could have ben resolved years ago but it was all a part of the bigger plan, because believe it or not, all the countries in the world are working together on some level. If they’re not, they soon will be.

Another interesting fact to keep in mind is, Israel no longer has the stronghold on the diamond market.  Another well kept secret. However, India currently does. You should also know that India, coincidentally, is a member of the Shanghai cooperation organisation.

I think it’s safe to say that, if we the people, want to understand governments, their strange foreign policies and the shift in their alliances all we have to do is follow the money trail.

Don't want refugees? ... It's very simple ...

Beautiful peeps of the world. What I’m about to say today may offend the sensibilities of some, but this is not my intention. My intention is to, hopefully, awaken you to see events taking place in the world in a different light. I would like you to keep an open mind and ask yourself: “What if?” - what if there is a small chance that what I am saying is of any relevance and truth. I am trying to appeal to your sense of humanity and not to the individualistic nature we have been brainwashed into adopting as “supposedly” different nations, races and cultures.

I keep saying the same old thing over and over again - that, as human beings who inhabit this earth, we are all the same. We laugh and cry the same. We are made of the same flesh and blood. On the whole, we aspire to the same things and we all want to live in a world where we have a home, where we can provide for our families and, hopefully, for those who have children, live long enough to walk them down the aisle.

Just because our skin colour is different and just because we have different beliefs, doesn’t mean we are not the same. Since a young age, we have been conditioned into believing a set of concepts that others before us decided to adopt as a way of life. We have been programmed to follow a set of rules that a minority of “others” decided we should follow to keep peace and order.

We are taught who to like and who to dislike in accordance with the people around us and what they believe. For decades the media has dictated what we should have, how we should dress and behave. The huge corporations sponsoring the media tell us how to think, feel, where to spend our money and what to say to be considered “politically correct” and an asset to them.

Considering we are 7 billion people on this beautiful planet, it’s shameful that very few of us can see through this bullshit, which brings me to why I am writing this article.

As many people around the world, over the last couple of decades or more and especially this last week, I have been very upset, horrified and driven to tears by what is happening to our fellow brother and sister human beings in war torn countries. From Iraq to Syria, Palestine to Libya, Egypt to Tunisia. Aside from the rich Islamic nations such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the likes of, no other Islamic country has had any real peace for decades.

Please do not be patronising and say that these countries asked for it. Nor, that they brought it upon themselves. Neither statement would be true.

There is enough evidence now in circulation to support the fact that 9/11, which sparked all these wars, was a false flag. It was the perfectly scripted, public relation exercise, that was used as an excuse to cause enough public outrage, hatred and discriminatory motivation, to justify wars on Islamic countries - wars that were only a front to gain possession of what precious little oil reserves remain on this planet and control strategic shipping areas around the Mediterranean. In fact, the US and the UN now control nearly all of the coastal areas in the Mediterranean. I’m sure that what they haven’t gotten with force, they’ve probably bought, bribed and, literally, stolen.

All you have to do is look at a map to see what I’m saying.

As if that isn’t enough, though, the west decided to invent ISIS. All you have to do is look at their brand new UN issue Toyota trucks (imported through Gibraltar) to realise this goes far beyond a bunch of idealists. I’m still dumbfounded at how the general public can believe that a bunch of outback fighters could fund themselves, train themselves and have all the latest in every weapon on a farmer’s salary. Have you never asked yourself why ISIS hasn’t been stopped. It’s not that there aren’t enough resources to do so around the world.

Think about it. Supposedly, no country wants terrorism. Yet, no country is truly united in the fight against terrorism. Why? Why is ISIS allowed to continue when Sadam Hussain and Kernel Gaddafi, who was actually doing something good for Africa as a nation (but that's a whole different essay), were eliminated.

Why is it a whole string of witnesses to the fake flag of 9/11 mysteriously die and yet, we, as a united world can’t stop a handful (in comparison to 7 billion) of idealistic fanatics? - Why? - Because the imminent threat of ISIS created by a series of publicists and media sensationalism has YOU running scared and demanding action from your government. You are being manipulated into judging all Muslims as terrorists when, in fact, the majority are just people like you and me who want a peaceful life.

Have you ever noticed how ISIS’s strategies, their tactics and their training is outstanding - it’s all military precision. It’s precision that only comes from the best military minds around the world. Those, for our worst sins, can be found in the US, in the UK, France and Germany. Coincidentally, these are, in fact, also the countries who benefitted the most from all the wars. They are the ones, for example, who immediately took over the oil reserves in Iraq and in Libya.

You may think that none of this benefits you, the general public, but it does and in ways you could never imagine. We, as a people, need to face the fact that our consumerism has gotten so out of hand that oil reserves are almost depleted. Have you ever asked yourself why, all of a sudden we are seeing more and more electric cars and hybrids and devices that don’t require fuel. The answer is simple. Governments and big corporations know oil is at an all time low but they need to keep you, the consumer quiet and happy and in the luxury we’ve all become accustomed to with our ipads, iphones and EVERYTHING that makes your life easier.

Just recently, we’ve all seen the tragic photographs of children and adults alike being washed up on various shores around the world.

I have silently watched as the Facebook divide grows bigger between those who believe refugees should be given safe passage and those who claim they just invade countries for benefits and housing and sucking the system for everything they can get.

I don’t mean to rain on anyone’s parade here, and I am by no means a mind reader or even the brightest crayon in the box, but, I don’t believe for one minute that these people would go through what they go through and risk their lives and the lives of their children for dole money. Call me naive and say what you like ... but ... children are sacred in any country and to almost all families. Of course, there are exceptions but no loving parent would attach their child to the bottom of a moving truck or put them in a tiny cargo unit, at sea, and risk their child’s life for housing benefit.

I think there is a very important point being missed here. The refugees who are pouring into EU now are people just like you and me. They had their home, their job, their life. It was taken away from them by the greedy “elite” few who orchestrate world events. They didn’t ask for this. I’m guessing that the majority didn’t even want to leave their homeland because just as you’re nationalistic, guess what, so are they. It’s seems to be a general popular trend to be able to identify with your country, your culture, your people. What makes you think that any EU country is better than theirs?

I’m sorry but this isn’t a time to be pointing fingers at people who are just trying to stay alive amidst war and famine that is destroying their world.

This is a time to be pointing fingers at ourselves. We need to think hard and carefully about how our actions, and decisions, affect the lives of others. Who did you vote for? Whoever it was, they pushed the war buttons. They are the reason there are refugees. They are puppets in the hands of the elite few corporations who control practically ALL of the economy on a global scale.

When you buy, who do you purchase from? What do you purchase and how much of it do you purchase? Have you ever stopped to think about why the oil reserves are almost depleted? Do you know it takes oil to manufacture EVERYTHING we consume.

If you don’t want refugees, it’s very simple - stop living as if you’re the only person who exists on this planet.
Be considerate, be moderate, demand change and be that change you want to see.

Why do people go to psychics, mediums and tarot readers?

When people seek divination, it’s usually because they’ve reached the end of their tether and have nowhere else to go and no-one else to turn to. Or, perhaps they do have somewhere and someone to turn to but they just don’t trust their opinions; not because they’re not valid but simply because they will not consciously listen to any opinion that doesn’t resonate with what they want to hear. Yet, they don’t quite rightfully know what they want to hear. They’re engaging in attention seeking for the sake of being the centre of attention. They’re not actively engaging with the advice being given. Hence, they blame the whole world for being incompetent when, in fact, they’re not taking responsibility for themselves, their actions and the situations they find themselves in.

The type of people who seek out psychics are usually at a point in their life when they’ve reached emotionally instability. Their mind is so much all over the place that they have difficulty seeing the wood for the trees; so to speak. They’re agitated, somewhat hyper. They can’t focus properly and get distracted very easily. They flit from one scenario to the next for their lack of ability to deal with an issue and resolve it there and then. They’re going through some kind of anxiety and nervous stress.

A psychic, a medium, a tarot reader might tell a client a truth, in accordance with what the cards or the intuition is, but most of the time the client doesn’t want to hear the truth. The truth is unbearable and too difficult to deal with. If a person hears the truth, it means they have to face it and take responsibility for it. Yet, isn’t that why a client is seeking a psychic in the first place, to turn away from the responsibility of making decisions for themselves?

Also, in a popular culture, where people have been led to believe the impossible is possible, there is a tendency to turn to divination in search of miracles. A person seeking a reading will have other the top expectations both of the reading and the person doing the reading. When those expectations aren’t met, they’ll simply blame the tarot cards or the email method of response or the psychic or the medium. That’s when they’ll accuse them of being a charlatan and claim one method doesn’t work over another.

People should be aware that all divination is based on intuition. Intuition is intuition no matter whether it’s written, verbal, comes with a pretty set of picture cards or a set of stones with funny symbols on them. It’s not infallible but it’s also not fake. What makes it volatile is the clients own choices.

For example, I can say to a friend: “Please don’t drive your car today, I have a feeling something will happen.” The choice to drive that car is entirely up to my friend. My friend chooses, or not, to believe in my words. My responsibility is to deliver them. It is then their responsibility to pay attention to them or not. Nobody can force anybody to listen or obey; unless you’re in the army and have to follow orders. Every decision we make is entirely a product of our freewill.

What amazes me is, why people would choose to spend money on a professional psychic, tarot reader or medium when they’ve already hot-wired themselves not to believe anything being said. That is lunacy! It’s also a little narrow minded. The client has closed himself/herself off before they’ve even started. It’s crazy! I’m sure that clients work as hard as any one of us to earn their money, so why would they sabotage themselves in such a manner?

After all, money doesn’t grow on trees and it’s as if they’re taking it, putting it in an ashtray and burning it. If you’re going to PAY for advice, at least consider it, take it on board, mull over it, be open to receiving it.

Maybe, in today’s society of waste, we’ve just become too accustomed to having everything  too easily and too readily to appreciate any of it. That’s why we reject so much of it and throw it out. That’s also lunacy!

We’ve become a society that gives value to things instead of people.  We place value on appearance rather than content. Our priorities are completely screwed up and we accuse people, who are just human beings trying to make a living, of not being all they’re cracked up to be just because they don’t fit with our model of how they should be.

However, for every bad person in the world there is a good counterpart somewhere. The law of Karma also states that what goes around, comes around tenfold. The universe will balance things out eventually.

Religion

I don’t consider myself to be a religious person. I was brought up a Catholic and I was lead to believe that catholicism is the only right way in this world. Then, through family ties, I encountered Islam, that also claimed to be the only way of this world.

Years later, I was introduced to Jehovah’s witnesses, when they knocked at our family door once, and, unsurprisingly enough, they claimed their religion was the only way to go.

When I worked in China, I found that people still pray to an infinite number of Gods - just like our ancestors throughout history in ancient Greece and Latin Rome. Heck, my name even comes from a Greek and Roman Goddess. Read any kind of European mythology and you will find numerous Gods in every country.

Over the last few years, I have had the pleasure of conversing with great Rabbis from the United States and Israel and, low and behold, they believe their religion is the salvation of human beings.

I’ve read the Torah, the Vedic Scriptures from India, the Holy Bible, the Holy Qur’an, the Japanese Bushinko, the Egyptian and Tibetan books of the Dead. I’ve read about the Bonn religion, Russian and Greek orthodox religions and Hinduism. I’ve studied Shamanism and Buddhism and I could mention many more.

Yet, in 2009, I converted to Buddhism, not because I was seeking a religion. I’m openly, and honestly, not good at following any set of religious rules and rituals. I’m not even capable of having, or following, ritualistic patterns in my everyday life, let alone my spiritual one. I never get out of bed at the same time daily. I never eat at regular meal times and the list could go on. I guess I just don’t have enough self-discipline in that area, or perhaps deep down I feel it’s all a waste of time.

In all honesty, I probably make a terrible Buddhist. I don’t follow any kind of formalised, or institutionalised indoctrination and I don’t pray conventionally. I don’t chant properly or frequently enough. My meditation practice is falling a little by the wayside and I’ve probably broken a few of the vows I took when I converted.

Yet, I don’t go out of my way to harm people or other living beings. I don’t go out of my way to harm the environment we live in. In fact, the three main Buddhist principles I try and follow every single day of my life are: love, kindness and compassion towards other living beings even though it’s not always easy. I’ve always said that mosquitoes will be the reason I’ll stay in Samsara for all eternity and my thoughts of wanting to slap around a few high-maintenance, pretentiously demanding, and thoughtless tourists on holiday is very very remote from being a good Buddhist.

None the less, I don’t go around slapping people every time I feel like I want to. On the contrary,  every day of my life, I still try to make a tiny little difference in someone else’s life and do something to avoid harming the natural world we live in. Sadly, mosquitoes are excluded from this conversation. 

The atheists among you would argue that you don’t need to be religious to be kind and you’d be absolutely right. Religion doesn’t teach us to be kind. Your parents, your education, the very foundations of your moral and ethical being teach you to be kind. You don’t have to be religious to be a kind person.

We can argue that you don’t need a God to tell you to be compassionate, which is absolutely correct. You can learn to be compassionate from a friend, a relative, from doing volunteer work, from empathising with people in circumstances different, or less fortunate than your own. You certainly don’t need a supreme being to show you how to be loving.

In fact, my strong belief is that we’re already, naturally, creatures of love. We were born from an act of love and anyone who has ever done something nice for someone else will also know how good it feels to see someone happy thanks to something we’ve done. It’s the most satisfying feeling in the world.

However, I do understand that many people in the world find these qualities difficult and need guidance to adhere to them. If that guidance comes from their God, and makes them happy and better people, then so be it. Who am I to say it’s wrong. I fully understand that a lot of people need a supreme being to believe in for their own peace of mind when things go wrong, when they need help and when there is nothing in their lives but despair. 

I completely comprehend the need many people have to believe in supernatural powers that can save them. For many, faith is all there is and why should that be wrong? As long as it harms no others in the process.

My personal reasons for converting to Buddhism were:

I’m not capable of being an Atheist. I believe that, in whatever form and with whatever name anyone wishes to call it, there is a very powerful energetic source of all creation out there. Ever since studying physics back in college and metaphysics during my university days, I’ve adhered to the philosophy that the beginning of all things is energy and that energy, by its very nature can be magnified, reduced and transformed but it can never be destroyed. 

Since all energy is derived from atoms, protons, electrons and neutrons, which are particles that form the basic composition of everything. We are no more than a bundle of unified energy on two legs. Of course, this is only the opinion of a ranting woman. I don’t expect anyone else to agree with me.

For the first time in my life, during any religious gathering, or retreat in this case, I heard a Buddhist monk, who I now love dearly and who I consider to be my heart teacher, say: “Buddhism respects all religions, beliefs and cultures.” His words resonated so deeply within me, that I knew I was in the right place and among my kind of people. 

In fact, in all the time I’ve spent in India and Nepal, among Tibetan people and those who have chosen the path of Buddhism, I’ve never heard a bad word said against any religion.

The point of saying all this though, is not to convert anyone to Buddhism nor convince anyone that Buddhism is the way to go. Not at all.

My point is, if one major religion of the world, like Buddhism, can accept and respect all other religions and ideologies, why the hell can’t all the other religions? and yes, surprisingly enough, Buddhism is one of the major religions since studies estimate that close to1 billion people practice it on a global scale. 


Is a question of arrogance and pride?  Is it because each religion wants to be right about its ideology and beliefs? Or, can it simply be a question of what it’s always been about; politics, manipulation and control. Secular powers preying on the beliefs of human being based on existential insecurities. 



I’ll address, more in depth, what I mean in my next article - Religious Ideologies.