If I Can Do It

By Joy Thompson

’If I Can Do It’ is about one woman’s personal journey through the intricate maze of self-awareness and spiritual development. It is written to give hope and encouragement to all those seeking to consciously embark on their own journey of enlightenment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ReadOnTime BV
• Release date: Feb 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781742841410

Joy Thompson

Joy Thompson is the current program director for court appointed special advocates of Mesa County in Grand Junction, Colorado. Joy has spent the past five years working with child victims of abuse and neglect, including children that have been placed in foster care. Joy has worked with abused children as a victim advocate, court appointed special advocate (CASA), and forensic interviewer. Her first book, Lily Meets Her CASA, explores the world of the child in foster care and the importance of the CASA Volunteer. Look for the sequel in late 2015. Joy currently resides on the Western Slope of Colorado with her four children and four dogs.

Book preview

IF I CAN DO IT

(Diary of an ordinary woman’s journey

through the extra – ordinary worlds

of self & spiritual awareness )

Joy Thompson

Smashwords Edition

* * * * *

If I Can Do It

Copyright © 2011 Joy Thompson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

The information, views, opinions and visuals expressed in this publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the publisher. The publisher disclaims any liabilities or responsibilities whatsoever for any damages, libel or liabilities arising directly or indirectly from the contents of this publication.

A copy of this publication can be found in the National Library of Australia.

ISBN:  987-1-742841-41-0 (pbk.)

Published by Book Pal

www.bookpal.com.au

* * * * *

The Unseen Spirit

The place where I come from seems far away

Yet, it is closer than you think

My thoughts, my hopes, my dreams

Are all similar to yours

While, at the same time – worlds apart

The separating veil is thin and sheer

And yet, it contains a strength

Not visible to the naked eye

It has definition, only detectable by the purest of heart

I hear the whispers that could deafen defiant ears

And my eyes see through the darkness

Into the void that exists beyond illusion

Where time does not belong

And peace is measured by the length of a breath

Do not seek me out, for I am nowhere to be found

I am just here, I exist

That is all that matters

To the mind, body and soul

When it is time, you will know me through your heart

Feel me, through your love

And desire to be like me

Through your greater knowledge

Of all that is.

JOY THOMPSON

* * * * *

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all the good-hearted souls

who have ever doubted themselves, ever feared the

unknown or ever sought answers.

The mystery is about to unravel…

* * * * *

If I Can Do It

INDEX

The Unseen Spirit

Dedication

Foreword

Suggested Spiritual Development Plan

The Beginning . . .

The First Year

Spiritual Progress Diary - Year One

The Second Year

Spiritual Progress Diary - Year Two

The Third Year

Spiritual Progress Diary - Year Three

The Fourth Year

Spiritual Progress Diary - Year Four

The Fifth Year

Spiritual Progress Diary - Year Five

Epilogue

* * * * *

This book is a non-fiction piece of work based on the life experiences and recollections of the author.

In some cases, names of people, places, dates, sequences and the detail of events have been changed slightly to

protect the privacy of others.

These changes do not affect the accuracy of the work, or the integrity of the book or its author.

* * * * *

Foreword

This book is about one woman’s personal journey through the intricate maze of self-awareness and spiritual development. It is also written to give hope and encouragement to all those seeking to consciously embark on their own journey of enlightenment.

It is unique in the fact that it is my story. It is an ordinary story, which over time has evolved into a not-so-ordinary lifelong passion. Because of my own dedication, commitment and determination to succeed, I have methodically progressed from a casual enquirer to a respected spiritual teacher and advisor. Along the way, I have experienced the most extra-ordinary things and been afforded the most wonderful insights into this world and others. I now work on a regular basis with Spirits, Guides and Angels, who all willingly share their time, wisdom and love. In return (and with their permission) it is these teachings that I now offer to all those who consciously seek them.

This book will be, by nature, somewhat biographical, but I look on it more as the beginning of my spiritual journey rather than a summary of my physical one. Let me state first off, however, that I do not consider there is anything particularly special or different about me. I was not born into a hereditary line of naturally gifted psychics; I am not devoutly religious (although I do believe there exists a power greater than us in the Universe); and I do not even consider myself particularly spiritual by nature, yet the results I have achieved speak for themselves.

I also do not make any promises or lay claim to having been given any unique metaphysical qualities. I am just an ordinary woman who simply wanted answers.

The purpose in writing this book is to share my journey with others, to show those of you who doubt your own abilities that, if you truly want something enough, then nothing and no one can stand in your way. Forget what you may have heard or read about being born with the gift. Everyone has the ability to awaken and develop their own gifts. All you need to have is the desire and the will to do so.

For those of you who have ever wanted to know what the psychics know or see what the clairvoyant sees, this book is designed for you. For all of you who have ever wanted to understand why you are the way you are and then in turn to accept, forgive and love yourself anyway, this book is for you.

If you take nothing else from my experiences, know this: self-awareness and spiritual development are normal, they are natural and they both work.

In order to show an accurate record of my journey including the relevant time span, I have detailed my spiritual experiences in chronological order to the best of my ability and recollection.

Although essentially a private person, I understand the need for openness and honesty when dealing with spiritual energy and for this reason, I have consented to also reveal certain relevant aspects of my personal life.

It is important for you to understand where I have come from in order to know where I am at now and to have faith enough to trust where I am heading, for if you choose to follow, the whole story will be significant.

In a sense, you will be reading my spiritual diary as it happened, with the knowledge and understanding I had at the time. At the end of each entry, I will also add my revised understanding if necessary. I have continued to develop and evolve over the years and the contrast between the two, upon reflection, may provide additional insight.

I have also included my Suggested Spiritual Development Plan to assist you in setting your own development agenda, and a year-by-year timeline of my progress, so that you may appreciate the work and effort spent developing to my own level of awareness. You can also apply this plan to your Self-Awareness objectives.

The journey may not always be pretty, but both of these guidelines may help you understand that all things worthwhile can take time, practice and patience. You will see that not everything goes to plan, nor do I always understand what is happening, but that’s life and that’s how it goes.

I also do not suggest that my way is the only way, and again I urge you to use my journey as a guide only in the process of unfolding your own potential.

I invite you to share my ups and downs, my achievements and my disappointments, and in so doing, ease your own expectations, doubts and fears about pursuing your own self-awareness and spiritual development.

With all the good, the bad and the in-between, I am convinced that these lines of self-enquiry and exploration can be positive influences in anyone’s life. Learning about yourself is uplifting and being at peace with all the parts that make you unique is a reward and a gift we all deserve.

I wish you all enlightenment, safety and peace on your journeys.

After all, if I can do it...

Joy *

* * * * *

Suggested Spiritual Development Plan

Identify areas and subjects of special interest

(List these in order of preference to give you an idea of where to start)

Identify specific skills or desires

(Make a list of the things you can already do, or have already been made aware of)

Set spiritual goals

(Make a list of the things you would like to accomplish next)

Research chosen subjects by reading and gathering information

(Read more about the things you would like to accomplish and be clear about your motives)

Practical application: experiment with chosen spiritual principles

(Do what you can and practice what you have read or learned about. Journal and rate your experiences to highlight areas for improvement)

Practise until satisfied with proficiency

(Continue practising and researching to increase skill and knowledge level)

Establish regular meditation schedule with focus on relaxation

(Master the art of relaxation and improve your meditation skills, for without these, your progress may be limited)

Do a Self Awareness Course to prepare physically

(Until you understand what drives you in this world, you will be less likely to focus, or enhance your energy in another. Baggage is heavy.)

Expand on regular meditations to include Healing work

(Work on spiritually healing any physical blocks you may have discovered, clear your energies and strengthen your knowledge and use of White Light principles)

Learn to decipher the spiritual voices from your own jumbled thoughts

(Focus on blocking-out and tuning-in and become comfortable and conscious of the different levels of awareness)

Seek out experienced group or spiritual teacher / healer if required

(This can often be the time to seek assistance, to clarify your progress, confirm answers and share your abilities and knowledge)

Practise until satisfied with proficiency

(Under guidance your confidence will grow. Open yourself to the new way of learning and practice, ask questions and pay attention)

Expand on regular meditations to include spiritual / visualization work

(Allow your own awareness and guidance to show you the best path to take and follow your instincts. Think of meditation as the spiritual trunk with everything else representing the branches. Make your own tree of knowledge depending on your own personal interests, skills and intentions)

Continue reading, asking, learning, practising and gathering information to better understand spiritual experiences

(Now you have begun your journey, there is one thing I can predict with absolute certainty – the more you learn, the more you’ll learn there is to learn. Be patient with the process.)

Practise until satisfied with proficiency

(Practice and expand on learned principles, then learn some new ones. Most of all, stay safe and enjoy the new connections)

Ask for spiritual guidance regarding the relevant spiritual path to follow

(If, by this point, you are still unsure about your own interests, skills or intentions, ask your Spirit Guide, Angels or teacher. Or better still, meditate on it. Your instincts will show you what, where, who, when and how. Angel cards can also be helpful in this process.)

Important Notes

Once you begin to open yourself up spiritually and emotionally, you will start to become stronger, more confident and far more curious. Please, please, please avoid the temptation to use any form of Ouija Board or other ‘lower level’ tools of divination associated with black magic or the occult. Always keep your intentions clear and focussed on the positive, and always instil your White Light Protection as your own form of Divine security before venturing into any altered state, such as meditation. If you do not already know about the use and benefits of White Light Protection, then perhaps this would be a good place to begin.

I am not trying to alarm or dissuade you here, but I would be negligent if I did not at least remind you to keep yourself safe. Always aim for the highest and brightest and settle for nothing less. After all, you would not deliberately place yourself into danger in the physical world: you would take precautions. All I am saying is please continue to do this in the spiritual realm too. White Light is universally abundant, costs nothing and it works!

Another timely warning is to remind you to be careful what you ask for. Your spiritual helpers will be only too happy to give you what you want and, yes, they will protect you to a certain degree and will only give you what you can handle, but they cannot go against your own free will. Be assured, if you consciously seek darkness, it will find you.

Some Prayers for invoking the White Light Protection

These are some of the prayers that I often use when meditating alone or with others. Just adapt them to your own needs. Use whatever words feel right for you. Your intention will be known automatically. It is also a nice touch of respect to give thanks to your spiritual friends once your meditation is complete. Spirits, Guides and Angels have feelings too. Be creative and enjoy.

OPENING

Dear Lord, thank you for being with us today to help us grow and learn in full light. We thank you for sending the very highest of Guidance to accompany us on our spiritual journeys. We thank our Doorkeepers for watching over our channels as we open them to grow, heal and learn, and we ask that they keep away all negativity that is not for our own highest good. We also welcome our Guardian Angels to be with us, to comfort us and to share their loving messages. Please place the white light around us all and around this location to protect us as we journey along our spiritual pathways. We also welcome in full light all those who wish to share healing and knowledge with us today. We are ready to accept all that is for our own greatest good, in whatever area we need it the most. Amen.

CLOSING

We give our thanks to all the Guidance who have shared with us today. We thank you for the knowledge, healing and messages we received and we ask that you help us maintain our spiritual connections in full light and love. We thank our doorkeepers for keeping our channels clear and safe and our Guardian Angels for wrapping their protective wings around us. Please help us maintain the white light around ourselves and around our families and friends and help us feel the benefits of all the spiritual healing and advice, we ask for and receive. We also offer our help and healing to all those who may seek it. Please continue to watch over us and help keep us all safe and well, until we meet again. Amen.

Let the Light of God surround us,

Let the Love of God enfold us,

Let the power of God protect us.

May there be peace above us,

May there be peace below us,

May there be peace within us,

May there be peace between us,

May there be peace on Earth.

Dear God, please place your loving White Light around me. Keep me safe and protected in your loving hands. I am willing to accept healing, guidance and knowledge in whatever areas I need it the most. Thank You.

As I read through the above prayers and information, I realise that I have also mentioned several principles and processes that relate directly to Spiritual Development, such as Spirits, Guides, Angels, Doorkeepers, White Light, healing and channels. While I would love to take the time to explain everything in detail, this book is already destined to be of epic proportions and so I will simply elaborate where necessary and leave the job of investigating further up to you.

I can, however, offer my own teachings to further your growth and development and these details will be included at the end of this book, along with a list of the books I have found useful on my own journey.

For now though at least, this book must be confined to the point at hand.

* * * * *

The Beginning . . .

I was always very intuitive as a child, as most children are. However, in my early teenage years I also began to have premonitions and make predictions that seemed to come true with surprising regularity. I also recall having very strong gut instincts about people and places, instincts that were later confirmed, one way or another. These thoughts and feelings would just come to me spontaneously and, because of that, I often wondered why everyone didn’t know the things that I did. I never received anything earth-shattering mind you, but still these emotions were my first indication that I could, perhaps, do something unusual.

Around the age of fourteen, I began to write poetry: pages and pages of it with ease. The words just seemed to be crammed into my head and I felt the need to write them down, if only to clear my thoughts. To me, it felt like I was simply writing what had already been written in my mind and this gave me the sense that I was more copying than composing. This process also felt completely natural and once again I couldn’t understand why others found it so difficult.

After winning a poetry competition in the local newspaper, I was offered my own weekly newspaper column in which I would write poems that related to the main news stories of that week. By the age of fifteen, my poems were also being published regularly in a variety of teenage magazines and at nineteen, seven of my poems were published in my first book entitled Voices – An International Poetry Anthology.

At twenty two, five more of my poems were featured in the second Poetry Anthology entitled Spectrum and over the following years, my work continued to be published in a variety of books and literature worldwide including Caress of the Moon (1997), A Celebration of Poets (1998), Memories of the Millennium (2001) and Theatre of the Mind (2003).

In addition to poetry, I also began writing novels and short stories and to date have completed seventeen, none of which have yet been published, but who knows, maybe one day. There is a huge difference to me between needing to write and needing to be published. I just seem to have an endless supply of information and ideas in my head waiting to be put on paper and I cannot imagine ever having a day when I didn’t write something.

Since embarking on my spiritual journey, however, I have come to realize that several of my novels have actually been written by a process known as automatic writing.

In these cases, I would sit and write for hours on end, not feeling the need to take a break, eat, drink or even visit the bathroom. It was great for the diet, but confusing to my logical, rational mindset. In fact, sometimes I would even be unaware of exactly what I had written until I read it back later. I would often find words used that I didn’t even know at the time. In particular, I have one book that seems to be a recollection of an actual past life, which I have since discovered and investigated at length.

By all accounts, my pen has always had trouble keeping up with my vivid imagination.

I have also now come to appreciate that poetry, music and creative writing, all emanate from an upper spiritual plane, a plane I have been accessing sub-consciously my whole life.

Already you may be thinking that not everyone has these literary experiences, but in fact, they seem to happen much more frequently than even I imagined. In my particular case, however, my need to write feels more like something that is happening to me and not necessarily something instigated by me, if that makes any sense. It just feels like a natural process that I have to do.

Another natural occurrence that used to take place regularly was that no matter where I went or with whom, I was the one that always got picked out of the crowd, or chosen for one thing or another. It became a standard running joke: that I always had my ‘pick me’ light on. Although I often enjoyed the attention, there were times when I would have been just as happy to blend in with the crowd. This phenomenon I also took relatively for granted and I am happy to say that the attention I create these days is of a far more subdued nature.

I have since learned that once your spiritual light has been turned on, you tend to get noticed more – not only by those around you in this world, but also by those who await connection with you in the next.

When I reflect back over my life in general so far, it now seems evident that several of my most traumatic periods also seem to align with some of my most significant spiritual experiences.

I am wise enough these days to comprehend that this cannot be mere coincidence (even if there was such a thing).

In my teenage years, a group of bullies actually caused me to jump from a moving train into the path of an oncoming train as it entered the station. Amazingly, I walked away without a scratch. Now I realize this does not happen every day, but at the time it honestly never occurred to me that I could have (or should have) been injured or killed. I always felt completely safe and protected and couldn’t understand all the fuss that the incident created. I have no recollection how I was not crushed between the two trains, nor can I explain how I managed to negotiate the tracks in high heels, or scale the six-foot high platform wall to safety.

It was only in hindsight many years later that I realized the true danger and the real possibility of some form of divine intervention, which I no doubt owe my life to.

Another example of unseen forces at work occurred while I was competing in the inaugural Inter-Dominion Marching Girls Championships in New Zealand. While touring with the team, I ‘accidentally’ met a very handsome, very rich young man who, after only one whirlwind week, unexpectedly asked me to marry him.

Feeling as though I’d literally stepped into a real life fairytale, I naively accepted the offer and we planned to make the big announcement the following evening, before I was scheduled to leave the country. Despite the rational counselling from the Marching officials around me, I was convinced I had found my Prince Charming and nothing short of a catastrophe was going to keep us apart. Unfortunately, right on cue, that’s exactly what we got.

My new fiancé never turned up to collect me that evening and all my attempts to contact him went unresolved. I subsequently left New Zealand with my disillusioned heart breaking.

It wasn’t until some time later that I finally learned the truth: apparently while on his way to pick me up that night, his car had been involved in a mysterious accident and he had spent several weeks in hospital recovering from his injuries. I was naturally shocked and horrified to think that all this had happened without my knowledge, and while I felt bad for not being there for him, it seemed the time apart healed many things. Realizing that fate had intervened in a rather dramatic fashion, we both resolved to accept our destiny and get on with living our separate lives.

Again in hindsight, I can appreciate the spiritual forces that were at work. Marriage to my millionaire was never meant to be and, had events not unfolded as they did, I may not have followed my own dreams, or found myself on the spiritual pathway that I enjoy so much today. Funny how life works out.

Refusing to give up on my ‘anything is possible and should be’ philosophy, I then accepted an invitation to appear in several TV commercials, and through this exposure and my continuing commitments as a Marching Girl, I met and dated a World Champion motorbike stuntman. Now enjoying life in the really fast lane, I faced new challenges on all levels. Then, following his untimely death, I quickly (and quite naturally) turned my focus back to my spiritual development. I hoped not only to maintain contact with my lost love, but to also help answer the multitude of questions raised.

Through it all, however, it never once occurred to me that my life was anything out of the ordinary. I always fully expected (and got) anything and everything I set my mind to, and I truly believed this was how everyone lived their lives. In hindsight, I now marvel at how I instinctively implemented the power of positive thinking and I once again aspire to reach such a level. Of course, back then I also had the arrogance of youth, which today I gladly replace with a much more mature form of wisdom.

Perhaps the real spiritual turning point for me occurred while holidaying in Forster with Brian, my future husband. We happened to meet, quite by chance it seemed, another young couple travelling around Australia on their yacht. They were a couple quite unlike us in almost every way, yet we struck up a mutual friendship and spent a lot of time in each other’s company. They shared their many stories of the unusual people and places they had encountered on their journeys and also spoke quite openly about their spiritual beliefs, including life after death, reincarnation, astral travel and the existence of the soul living within each of us. They spoke to us in detail about auras and how they were able to leave their physical bodies and make contact with spirits, and they tapered it all with such a strong conviction that there was no room left for doubt. To say we were both surprised and fascinated would be an understatement, but what struck me the most was the fact that they did not require us to believe them, they merely wanted to share their experiences.

Shortly after arriving, they left Forster. They sailed away in their yacht as quietly as they had arrived, leaving us to wonder, in some sense, whether they had really been there at all.

As evidence of their short-lived visit, they left behind a book for us to read. It was a small, nondescript paperback with yellowing pages, and I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that this book quite literally changed my life.

The book was entitled You Forever and it was written by a Tibetan Monk named Tuesday Lobsang Rampa. It remains a trusted and valued source of spiritual wisdom today. Still holding pride of place on my bookshelf, it is a source of information that I read and re-read. Each time, I still manage to learn more than the time before.

I now understand, of course, that these two travelling strangers came into our lives for the sole purpose of awakening our inner abilities and I thank them both sincerely from the bottom of my heart, wherever they may be. While my husband maintains a general interest in spiritual work, his journey is different to mine and it is because of his continued patience, love and support, that I remain able to pursue my own passion.

However, after marrying and having two children, my spiritual work came to a screeching halt. With neither the time, patience nor energy to think of anything other than family, home and work, my spiritual development took a backseat to reality. Although I didn’t like it, I now realize that it was during these years that I was able to re-balance my physical energies, do my healing and self awareness work, and clear the path for the wonderful spiritual experiences to come. I truly do believe in right timing and there’s a lot to be said for being able to relax with life and let things happen, as they should.

I maintained some useful spiritual connections and was still mentally asking for and getting good car park spaces, short checkout queues and sales, and last-minute invitations to meet my musical idols, despite the circumstances initially appearing to be impossible. I’ve certainly learned that surprising things can happen at the last minute and, for this reason, I never give up and I never, ever, say never.

Once no longer in full time employment and with one child already at school, I started to feel the push to return to my spiritual work and I managed to find the time and energy I needed to consciously resume the journey. Choosing to first complete a Self-Awareness course to get myself back on track physically and emotionally, I cleared the way for positive spiritual growth. Once a regular meditation schedule was in place, I declared myself ready for new experiences.

Right on cue, my mother then suddenly decided that she’d like to go for a psychic reading and she asked if I would like to go along with her for moral support. As I had never had a reading before, I was naturally curious and agreed. I think it’s fair to say that I was completely hooked from that moment on. The psychic in question, whom I’ll call Bob, was very well known and respected around town and he had come to our attention as highly recommended. Impressively, Bob saw my spiritual light ‘on’ instantly and after my mother’s reading (which was incredibly accurate and very revealing) he shared some free advice and guidance for my own development and future.

I was amazed with what he was able to see around me and, while trying to maintain some space for common sense and predictability, I was nevertheless drawn to him like the proverbial moth to a flame.

Unlike the casual enquirer, I was not content to be told what I needed to hear. I wanted to know it for myself and, more importantly, I wanted to know how he knew.

Already prepared for my list of unending questions, Bob paced his responses thoughtfully and slowly and set me on the path to finding the answers I sought. Bob has, by the way, since become one of my most respected spiritual mentors and I will be forever grateful for my ‘unexpected’ meeting with him that day.

I then rekindled my spiritual journey by re-reading all the ‘How To’ books I had collected over the years and any new ones I could find, attending relaxation and meditation classes, and practising and studying every aspect of spiritual work that drew my natural curiosity.

After a while, I felt that I had once more gone as far as I could on my own and I began the quest in earnest for a qualified spiritual teacher. As Bob was now incredibly busy with his own life and journey, I needed to broaden my search. However, finding someone who would teach me was fast proving to be my toughest challenge.

Of course, there were many advertised meditation or spiritual groups where I could go, meditate, and go home, but unfortunately (for me at least) there was little actual teaching to be had. There were few people willing to explain the meditation and psychic connection process in detail, and so for a long while, my efforts seemed futile. For some reason, I needed to know how I was doing what I was doing, what it all meant, and how I could then develop it further.

I wanted to understand the spirits that I felt myself connecting with, to get to know them and their world as well as I knew my own, and I wanted to be sure I was doing it all safely.

Regrettably though, the many psychics or spiritual teachers I came across were reluctant to convey their insights. No one would teach me to do what they could do, for fear that I may then steal their livelihood. In hindsight, it was these people who taught me my greatest spiritual lesson.

NO ONE KNOWS THE SPIRIT WORLD LIKE THOSE WHO RESIDE THERE!

Unable to find the physical, practical guidance I needed, I turned my focus inwards and upwards. I read the books I already had, then (not content to solely believe that particular author’s theories) I began experimenting myself. I began actually doing what the experts wrote about doing and, as a result, I drew my own conclusions and found my own way. Sometimes my experiences coincided with those I had read or heard about, sometimes they did not, but whatever the outcome, I knew I had the greatest pool of resources available to me – those who lived in the spirit world.

When I needed answers or clarification, I placed myself into a meditative state and just asked. I know this may sound simple, but what I have also discovered in doing spiritual work is that simple is always better. If you have a question, ask! The hardest part for me, as I suspect it is for most people, was learning how to listen and decipher the spiritual voices from my own jumbled thoughts.

This is one of the first stages of opening yourself to work in this field and, being one of the first, it naturally takes the most practice, patience and time. I certainly knew Bob’s number off by heart during this time, but thankfully he often seemed just as excited at my progress as I was. I soon realized that no matter how eager I was to learn, there is simply no substitute for experience. Although I can now share with you the tips and techniques that worked for me, I’m sorry to say I cannot give you my experience. That you will have to obtain on your own.

Just when it seemed that I was destined to keep reading, experimenting and learning by myself, another ‘chance’ meeting with a new friend of my husband’s changed everything. My husband, Brian, stopped to help a man (who I’ll call Mal) at the beach one day when the quad bikes they were racing broke down. Being both mechanically minded, the pair struck up a friendship and, unbeknown to us all, an unusual chain of events started to unfold.

As the two men shared their common interests of speed and all things motorized, we learned that Mal was a local Speedway racer who we had both been fans of for many years.

The penny took a while to drop, but as we all came to know each other better, Mal began to open up about other areas of his life and this was where my connection was about to kick in.

It seemed that Mal had another side, a spiritual side, which he quietly kept hidden from the tough guys at the racetrack.

One evening, after noticing the mounting collection of self-help books in my bookcase, he carefully broached the subject. This, of course, was like a Godsend to me and I quickly became enthralled as he openly shared some of his own stories and spiritual experiences. It seemed this burly, hard-nosed racer had been meditating and doing spiritual work, including psychic readings, for many years. While this was an unexpected surprise to say the least, he was exactly what I had been looking for. Another coincidence?

As Mal and I then began to form our own friendship, we discovered we had just as much in common spiritually as he and my husband had physically. While I’m sure Brian felt a little slighted as I began to steal more and more time with his new friend, he was also happy that I had finally found someone who understood what I was talking about.

With Brian now working as part of Mal’s pit crew and me now having a spiritual mentor actually willing to teach, we all couldn’t help but wonder if the fortuitous meeting at the beach that day was, in fact, the mere fluke of happenstance that it first appeared to be. After all, I had been asking my spiritual helpers for a sign, a teacher, a like-minded soul and suddenly here he was!

Much to my delight, it wasn’t long before Mal was able to secure me an invitation to sit with the spiritual group he had been meditating with for many years. As the invitation arrived, however, the obstacles began to mount and running on the blind assumption that ‘things will work out if they’re meant to’ I refused to give up.

I had waited too long for this to happen and so, unperturbed by the distance to drive, predicted late nights, a husband on afternoon shift and two small children to organize, I got creative, checked my sincerity, strengthened my resilience and simply made it work.

Within ten minutes of arriving with Mal for my first introductory class, I came to realize this group was quite a gathering of accomplished souls. While they were all very nice to me, it was soon obvious to everyone that I might just be out of my depth. There were around six or seven regulars attending, consisting of both men and women from all walks of life, ranging in age from mid-twenties to over-fifties. The circle organiser was a dark-haired woman (who I’ll call Ellen) and she ran the group from the comfort of her own home, which was a much nicer atmosphere than some of the places I had previously found myself.

As I shyly took my cue and guidance from Mal, the group quietly assured me that they practised only within the white light and under the protection of God, a silent concern of mine, which they obviously picked up on quickly. I certainly didn’t want to be involved in anything dark or inexplicable, but luckily I had nothing to worry about.

As we began our first group meditation that night, I tried to relax and settle in, but it wasn’t long before things began taking on a whole new level. As the group discretely observed me and gently tested my energy, knowledge, beliefs and spiritual abilities, I began to tune in to the profound level of awareness that surrounded me. This was no ordinary meditation group and my being here, as it turned out, was no ordinary stroke of luck.

They accepted me readily and with their promise to teach and guide me, I finally found what I had been looking for. My potential was now set to expand, and aided regularly by the powerful diversity of the group’s energy, my own spiritual, self and psychic awareness awakened. I began to uncover the real truth about who and what I am, how I am, and, most importantly of all, why I am.

Through sharing and learning on a regular basis, I experienced things that I once considered improbable. Although my present level of awareness could be considered substantial today, I am the first to acknowledge that, even after many years of study, I have still only barely scratched the surface. The thing with spiritual work for me is that the more I learn, the more I learn there is to learn.

After almost a year attending this group, I felt compelled (and, in fact, was guided) to reach out and help others find what they were looking for. I wanted to offer what I had previously found so hard to find for myself so I began conducting my own weekly meditation and spiritual development classes.

Under the guidance of Ellen, Mal and the others, I found my niche as a teacher and I haven’t looked back since. Over time, I added psychic readings, spiritual counselling and self-awareness courses to my repertoire. Even though I am now quite well established, I still struggle with exactly what title to label myself with.

It has been my experience over the years that being labelled ‘psychic’ generally drives people into two different directions.

Some want to instantly know their future or next week’s lotto numbers and others will avoid me altogether for fear that I may reveal one of their deepest, darkest secrets, or simply know more about them, than they may care to reveal. For these reasons, I mainly consider myself a spiritual person, not a psychic one.

To elaborate slightly, psychic to me is more about dealing with predictive energies and focuses more on the physical level and the more immediate time-life span.

Being spiritual, on the other hand, teaches you how to raise your energies and focuses more on the personal issues and the soul’s journey throughout eternity. As my reading Guide will often ask, What is the point of knowing what you will be doing or having in the future, if you are unhappy today? This is a philosophy and a wisdom I choose not to argue with.

In short, PSYCHIC energy tells you what; SPIRITUAL energy tells you why.

The two, however, invariably mix at different levels and most forms of metaphysical enquiry will contain elements of both.

Let me stress again that these observations are entirely drawn from my own personal experiences to this point and I encourage you all to find your own way and mindset.

For those of you who also associate spirituality with religion,