There are many reasons for becoming a vegan. Perhaps the most powerfully motivational one, and the one that produces the greatest passion, is the choice that stems from the desire to do no harm.

Recognising the sentience in other beings, accepting their right to their lives, and then respecting that life, can create a revelatory consciousness. If you make the choice to adopt a fully vegan lifestyle (one that ultimately eschews all products harmfully stolen from other beings) it almost becomes a personal mantra. There are no half measures.

Like religious converts experiencing their ‘road to Damascus’ moment, those who wake up to the recognition of the preciousness of animal lives, hold their new-found values dear. They wish to do everything in their power to act upon those personally liberating tenets. They want to make a difference. Whilst they may not be able to change the world, they can change everything that is within their control; and the obvious starting point is in their own home.

I have a friend who is just such a convert.

Recently, she relayed to me the tale of a forthcoming visit from a large group of her family members. She had offered to play host, throwing open her home, and providing a rent-free holiday destination for them all. But as the date grew closer and they were firming up plans, she realised she needed to make it clear that during the time they were with her, she could not accept any non-vegan foodstuffs in her house.

Their reaction was angry and negative and very quickly, things got ugly. Rather than pause for consideration, they berated her for trying to control their food intake choices and foisting her ideas and values upon them. En-mass, they ‘ganged up’ on her, trying to pressure her to change her mind, even using emotional blackmail by asserting “You never used to be this way”. There was no attempt to explore her reasoning or perspective. She didn't even get so much as an iota of support from another family member, who had himself (notionally) turned vegetarian!

Nonetheless, in the face of considerable unpleasantness and hostility, she bravely stood her ground and remained true to her convictions. Alas, the final result was that the long-anticipated visit was cancelled, and a rift developed within the family unit.
 
I find this situation worthy of comment for several reasons. It is, perhaps, a salutary tale for all of us who are faced with situations where our vegan beliefs place us in conflict with our loved ones. You may, perhaps, imagine what you would have done had you been faced with this situation. Here’s my take on it:

I believe it is an extraordinarily insensitive person who enters the world of another and ignores or disrespects their beliefs and values. We may not agree with them, but it is surely a matter of common courtesy to at least demonstrate a level of acceptance, through our behaviours and actions, if those beliefs do us no harm. Granted, it may be jarring when we can see no logic, reason or purpose behind another’s value base (extreme, oppressive religious beliefs being, perhaps, a good example), and we may struggle to empathise with another’s viewpoint.

But is it a bridge too far for any of us to allow ourselves an imagined, exploratory trip into the world of beings we slaughter for food? Is it that hard to empathise with harmless creatures, dragged away from their homes and loved ones, only to be cruelly and mercilessly slaughtered for our pleasure?

My friend, in dealing with her family members, faced a group of people who were apparently unprepared to consider why one of their number might have changed their position, vis a vis the lives of animals. She didn’t demand that they change their lifetime habits for any more than the week they were due to be with her. She would have provided them with sumptuous vegan meals, wherein they wouldn’t even have noticed the absence of a living being’s flesh. They would have participated in a culinary adventure that could have been eye-opening. They would have had the opportunity to experience a week wherein they momentarily removed themselves from their tacit complicity in the theriocide that they willingly participate in for the remaining fifty-one weeks of the year.

Yet sadly, they seemingly couldn’t bring themselves to do that.

Instead they mindlessly chose to behave like spoiled children, railing against something that wasn’t of their choosing. They elected to put their stomachs and their intransigence before a basic consideration of another’s sensitivities. They allowed their habituated beliefs to overrule their recognition that maybe, a member of their kin was simply doing what she believed to be right. They didn’t allow themselves to look at their own actions and choices, or question their own values. Instead, they elected to drive a wedge into a previously happy and loving family unit.

Let’s not forget the “you never used to be this way” accusation they levelled at my friend…

Of all the stupid and inane things they could have said, this maybe tops the bill. Why on earth would they imagine that she would be the same as she used to be? Is it not fundamental to all of us, that as we progress through our lives, we change and grow and evolve? Do they imagine that development stops when a certain age is reached? Are they really that stupid a group?

Perhaps what is really behind this glib phrase is vested interest coming into play. We all like others to be as we believe we know them. We fix them at a certain point in time and want them to stay that way. (Perhaps it is only when we live in close proximity to others that we allow them to change without rancor; and then, only because, like infants who grow taller before our eyes, we fail to notice their growth, until something forces recognition upon us.) This group wanted my friend to be the same person they had fixed her as, because that best served their purpose. It would allow them to believe they fully understood her, and that person could be manipulated so as to allow them to get their own way under the circumstances.

Let’s be honest here. We may like to imagine that we know people well, particularly those closest to us. But we don’t. Not unless we pay considerably more attention than most family relationships allow for. Therefore, we can only conjecture, and hopefully demonstrate empathy and acceptance when somebody doesn’t quite fit the mold we had envisaged for them. To demand otherwise is surely unrealistic, naïve and disrespectful of anyone’s need/right to become the person they intended to be. Yet that’s what this family was trying to do to my friend.

And what about that family member who didn't speak up in support of my friend?

I understand that some people like to avoid conflict. I get that to be contentious can damage personal popularity and reduce influence. I know that to go against the flow can be threatening. But is it really right, when somebody ostensibly shares the same beliefs that we do, to not support them when they find themselves under attack? And my friend was under attack.

If you make the choice to go vegan or vegetarian for the (rather selfless) reasons outlined above, is it not beholden upon you to stand up and be counted? If you too are trying to do your bit to end theriocide, why would you not come to the aide of another who was taking steps to achieve that end; especially when the circumstances are hardly life threatening for you? To abandon one in need of support, to me, demonstrates a certain moral cowardice, and frankly, a rather lame commitment to ending animal suffering. Then again, perhaps this individual’s reasons for becoming vegetarian were not so pure.
 
So, what can be concluded from all of this? Well, I believe this, or something similar, could have happened to anyone who has the strength of mind to go it alone and be true to their convictions. This is not the first situation I have come across where those we trust most, behave poorly when their comfort zones about their loved ones are challenged. This blog is simply written in response to my friend’s deep and on-going distress at what has come to pass. She is reaping the not-so-nice rewards of demonstrating courage and integrity, and standing up for what she believes in. It would have been much easier for her to cave in to the pressure and acquiesce to her family’s demands. But she didn’t.

Make no mistake, this is how people make a difference. Nothing happens when we sit on the sidelines, pretending that all is well, and ignoring that which is within our power to influence. My friend, in this situation, is a hero.

As for her family…  shameful and thoughtless as their responses may be, they are not untypical. Disappointing for me personally, is that I have met many of them, and found them to be (very) intelligent, sensitive people, who one might otherwise have expected better from. I doubt very much that they recognise the stress and hurt their unthinking self-focus, in these circumstances, has wrought upon my friend. I consider it an egregious level of selfishness on their part to run roughshod over the (obviously) deeply held values of one of their kin, irrespective of how different she may have been in the past. To ignore (or at best, fail to) accept her sensitivities, particularly when her viewpoint is such a kindly one, is stunning; more so when it comes from such ostensibly caring people. I can only imagine they found it threatening, as so many do, when faced with even the slightest measure of their culpability in unnecessary suffering and agony. I guess it’s their choice, and that has to be respected. But that choice sucks. They should get over themselves. 

I offer kudos to my friend for sticking to her guns. Her commitment and determination to do what is right may have been the spur that damaged family relationships, and the cost may prove high for her in this respect; but there is no fault on her part. We must all stand up for what we believe is right if we are to create the ripples of change that will impact the world; irrespective of the personal cost. Her actions should be an inspiration to us all.

Finally, from an etheric perspective, you may wish to observe that it is my friend who is the one who is making progress on her ascension pathway, not her family. A bit further down the line, that’s going to matter. A lot.

​I know this because an Archangel told me so.

​It’s no big secret that people put on metaphorical masks when dealing with the world around us. To a greater or lesser degree, we all do it. Right from the earliest age, we learn that in order to keep other people happy, we must conceal aspects of ourselves and present an image to the world that we are something ‘more’ or different from how we really are.
At one level, wearing a ‘mask’ is disingenuous and false. However, when viewed from a very human perspective, it is understandable that we may feel we need to do this to protect ourselves. The imperative stems from an apparently desperate desire to be accepted by those around us.

Our mask is unlikely to be an all-encompassing facade, but it can still work at almost every level of our being, causing us to misrepresent anything from matters as (relatively) insignificant as our taste in music, to something as important as our fundamental beliefs about the way we should treat other people.

In part, we will put on a ‘mask’ to make ourselves more agreeable to our immediate families, our peers/social group, or even specific individuals. But we also wear them for ourselves. Our ego presents us with an image of how we would like to be seen, and we all too willingly go along with it, seldom checking out the reality of it. We convince ourselves of the reality of our self-projection, and dismiss any contradictory evidence.

The sense of imperative to falsify ourselves begins when we start to experience insecurities and vulnerability (most frequently during teenage years). By the time adulthood arrives, wearing a ‘mask’ has all too often become a behavioural trait that we can no longer shed. Worse still, the ‘mask’ that we had initially put on merely to avoid being the outcast, or the weird kid, may now be who we have become. We may have identified with an adopted persona for so long that we believe it is who we actually are.

As well as causing us to deceive ourselves, masks intentionally confuse the image others have of us. Wearing them may cause us to (willingly) act against our personal values, adopt attitudes that may be uncomfortable for us, misrepresent our real viewpoints, and make claims for ourselves that exaggerate or distort our true nature. We may deliver ourselves in a manner that is an inaccurate representation of what lies at the essence of our being. And all the while, we believe that doing this in some way makes us ‘better’ people.

Initially, the deceptions may seem minor and harmless; after all they don’t really do any harm to others. Yet over time, we may become so governed by a prurient need to make ourselves acceptable to those around us, that we develop a habituated obsession with them.

Although such fixations are by no means guaranteed in a lifetime, even old souls, in some aspect of their lives, are likely to experience the challenges presented by need to ‘fit in’. This may cause a fleeting flirtation with self-deception, or an on-going charade of persona projection.

The greater the pressure we impose upon ourselves to conform and be compatible with others, the greater the likelihood that we will find it necessary to distort multiple facets of our true selves.

Unfortunately, not so deeply embedded within our psyche, lurks the certainty that the ‘mask’ we have adopted is merely who we are pretending to be. The cognitive dissonance this can create [the mental stress or discomfort experienced by a person who simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values] is subversive in its impact upon us. It is unbalancing and has the potential to undermine our relationships, cause us to become alienated from our sense of self, and derail our learning opportunities. Ultimately, it can consign us to further lifetimes in the third dimension.

The need to wear a mask is an ego product that never allows us to get past believing that we need to be who others want us to be. We have created a sophisticated and misleading self-image that we buy into, and expect others to as well; but we seldom recognise that they may see the truth of us, so caught up are we in our effort to convince others that our mask is who we are.

The misdirecting personal propaganda we surround ourselves with can lead to tangled webs of both outward and self-focused deceit. So attached may we become to our false persona, or so afraid that ‘the truth will out’, that we are unable to experience the truth of who we intended to be before we incarnated.

Yet from the etheric’s omniscient perspective, it is of no consequence to other people who and what we are. Our lives are ‘discreet’ and individual. They know that our preoccupation with being seen as valid in the eyes of others will, at best, cause us to limit our exploration of our true selves. At worst, it will cause us to experience psychological, emotional and spiritual trauma, or even dis-ease ourselves.  The latter is a very real consequence.

Wearing a ‘mask’ is not so much about managing the behaviours we think we should suppress, as an unhealthy manacling of our thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Whilst we do not need to ‘reveal our all’ in order for our integrity to remain intact, if our innermost motivators are called upon or challenged, they should surface as signposts that enable others to understand who and what we really are.

More than this, as we go forward on our pathway, we should allow our honestly experienced imperatives to be our guiding principles and tenets, not a route map we choose to ignore. What is inside of us can never lead us to anywhere that is meaningful, or offer our soul’s development, if it is constantly hidden behind the falseness and pretence of a mask.
It is one of the greater truths we must discover in our lifetimes. It is vital for us to understand and accept ourselves for what we truly are. If we don’t spend enough time developing a relationship with that being, we will always fail in our ascension attempts. But if we can’t even recognise ourselves in the first place, because we’ve spent so long trying to pretend we’re somebody else, we may as well give up.

 
NB. It should be clarified that all of this is not an issue of the things we do in order to be sensitive, polite, respectful, accepting and tolerant in our dealings with others. Masking is about what we believe we must do to be seen as (for instance) pleasant, popular, worthy, adequate, tolerable, companionable, or generally, 'better'. It extends beyond behaviours that demonstrate courtesy and common civility, and it would be wrong to assume that ‘being genuine’ means being damaging, confrontational, offensive, tactless, or in any way unacceptable.

To understand more about the ego state, you may find it beneficial to the Enlightenment Teaching found here:

http://www.angelsincanada.com/store/p98/E10%3A_Understanding_the_Ego.html
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​During the routine course of channelings, the etheric are frequently asked about matters pertaining to health. These vary from (untypically) “Is there anything wrong with me?” (bad question to ask!) to (typically) “What can I do about what’s wrong with me?” Of course, nobody ever asks for the sake of having flu; it’s usually something a lot more insidious.
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For most of us, recourse to scientific medicine as a method of correcting any disease that which physically ails us, is the natural first port of call, and modern medicine should not be eschewed. It may help alleviate the burden disease places upon us and allow us time to deal with what ails us at a deeper soul level, which is dis-ease, an imbalance of our vibration.

Chemical input/surgical intervention may, by itself, cause a return to apparent health. But for old souls, the underlying imbalance is unlikely to have been corrected (and will most likely be carried over as a challenge, although not a learning point per se, to the next lifetime) and disease is seldom countered effectively without also addressing the cause of the dis-ease.

The pertinent question for old souls then becomes “Is the dis-ease they are experiencing elected or assumed”. In other words, did they decide to have it before they arrived here, or have they acquired the dis-ease en-route in this lifetime, because they have been living/approaching life in a manner that is out of balance with who they intended to be?

For old souls, elective dis-ease would be relatively rare. By the time we reach old-soul age, we have dealt with all of the learning that may be gleaned from illness, most often in mid-term lifetimes. We have experienced its rancor and its debilitations ad infinitum, and we’re probably pretty fed up with having dis-ease so that those around us can learn to deal with it. So if you arrive with serious dis-ease on the schedule for an old soul lifetime, it’s either because that’s the way you’ve elected to go out; or because you’re really serious about helping out another soul, above and beyond the course of duty (in all cases a soul family member).

Far more common are acquired dis-eases that ironically, old souls are quite prone to (particularly those on their earlier outings into old soul living). Their rising vibration makes them more susceptible to being knocked off balance. As old souls, we arrive with strong beliefs about what we should be capable of, and tall-orders about what we hope to achieve. We set our sights high, because ascension is within our grasp. So before incarnating, we define quite strict limits of expectation regarding every aspect of our living: attitudes, beliefs, values, thoughts, behaviours; and if we then fall short of these well-intended parameters for success, the easier we stumble. The more anxious we are to succeed, the more difficult it is to get to where we want to be, and the greater the likelihood of dis-easing ourselves.

That begs the question: if an old soul assumes a dis-ease, is there anything they can do about it. And this is what the question, when asked in a channeling session, comes down to.

The simple answer is “Yes, of course”; but that does not mean that delivery will be easy or without difficulty.

Acquiring dis-ease is a bit like accidentally hitting a golf ball into a tricky sand trap as you drive for the green. You didn’t do it on purpose and it may be embarrassing, but everybody does it, it doesn’t mean the game’s over, and at least you were aiming in the right direction. But trying to chip your way out can be frustrating and you may get into trouble if your technique’s wrong.

Getting beyond, or dealing with dis-ease MUST follow the etheric’s 3 stage process for healing. If you haven’t heard it enough by now, it’s:

• ACCEPT
• RELEASE
• MOVE ON

 
Typically, those who have an imbalance, and those around them, will experience fear. This makes matters a lot worse and is a surefire way to feed the imbalance. Fear must be replaced by an attitude that acknowledges: “It is what I make of it” Dis-ease is definitely challenging, but it shouldn’t be allowed to be scary, as you will see.

Many old souls who have acquired dis-ease need to overcome the fact that they feel bad about it. If it makes them feel guilty, or somehow less worthy (which is definitely not the case) this is a major mistake. Embarrassment, guilt and other negative, self-flagellating emotions are unnecessary and damaging. They compound the problem, and they certainly don’t constitute acceptance. If it’s happened, it’s happened. It cannot be retrospectively changed, but it may still be possible to alleviate, or even eradicate any long-term impact.

Another damaging mistake is to deny that there is anything wrong at all. Pretending that something is not happening is the very antithesis of acceptance. So ignoring physical symptoms or imagining that it will all go away if you give it no air time, is folly.

However, this is NOT the same as denying that the dis-ease will be allowed to affect you. This is determination to counter the imbalance of the dis-ease, and taking steps to correct it: a refusal to allow it to take hold. A positive attitude is key to healing, but it’s important to understand precisely what this means and how it must manifest itself.

Accepting dis-ease is almost an act of embracing it. It is important to own the responsibility for what has happened without any recrimination, regret or self-pity. Ask what the dis-ease can teach you? See it as a challenge; an opportunity that has come your way to prove your mastery. Regard it as presence that you can work with. Give it a personality. It is, in every way possible, an aspect of yourself. It’s not mean or spiteful, however it might manifest. It really is there to help you.

But now comes the hardest part, since it is imperative for your learning and your understanding to come to terms with how the dis-ease has come to imbalance you. This involves exploring all aspects of your life in the most open and receptive of ways. Failure to recognise the sand-trap causes that are lurking there will mean that you haven’t yet come to terms with mastery of certain aspects of your being, if only because you can’t spot the error of your ways.

Frankly, you may not be able to discover all of this by yourself. Self-diagnosis can be tricky if you are not naturally introspective. You may not be able to see yourself objectively, and therefore require feedback from others who know you well and understand these issues at the same level that you do. You have chosen those who are around you in a lifetime so that they may be sounding boards or mirrors for you to observe yourself. Even then, what you hear might be uncomfortable and difficult, and it is important to be careful that your responses are not in themselves merely another form of denial. This does not mean you have to automatically accept everything you hear; but looking for previously unknown truths is vital.

(In case you’re wondering, the etheric will not point the causes out to you, because to do so would be to prevent you from the learning that must be yours.)

Once you believe you have your root causes, it will be obvious that the past cannot be changed, only the present. So from this point onwards, you must regard yourself as being in a ‘hereafter’ with no attachment to those causes, other than to do things differently from now on. In other words, you need to totally release yourself, and let go of whatever it was that resulted in the dis-ease. Attitudes, beliefs, values, thoughts and behaviours may have to change (if corrective steps have not already been taken).

However, if you do nothing to make modifications in going forward, this is another form of knowledge without action, that old chestnut the etheric keep reminding us of. It’s potentially catastrophically damaging to get past ignorance, and then do nothing about our new-found wisdom. Not only is this an on-going potential liability for us, it’s also one of the most common root-causes of what dis-eases us in the first place!

But how will you know that you’re out of the sand trap, back on the fairway, and heading for the right green now?

Well, if the imbalance is corrected and the dis-ease recedes, you’re there. If it doesn’t, the chances are that you unearthed an erroneous cause, or (unknowingly?) denied the true root cause. The dis-ease will be as powerful and unbalancing a factor as it ever was.

If this seems cruel, bear in mind that it is only there in the first place because old soul lifetimes require us to face challenges from all sorts of perspectives. It is wholly appropriate that we should find ourselves tested in this way, or how else would we otherwise demonstrate mastery?

Whether we succeed in overcoming imbalances or not, we should always make attempts to move on. Letting go allows us a scope for freedom in the way we view our condition or predicament. If we are too attached to a particular outcome, we are failing to recognise the perfection of the way in which our lives play out. At no time are we not in control of our destinies, because we may always choose the way in which we regard the events of our lives. It may be the case that we realise too late what has impacted us; that the dis-ease has been allowed to take too great a hold of our physical form before we recognise its true nature. But the mere fact that we are finally able to come to terms with what it is, and how it has become, means that the learning is apparent and available to us. This, whilst not being an unmitigated triumph, is in itself a huge spur along the ascension pathway.

​It used to be accepted amongst those who study the mind, that one of the defining elements of a psychopath is the inability to experience empathy. Psychopathy is, of course, an imbalance of the mind, regarded as a mental illness and a highly dangerous one.
​
Today, psychologists have amended their views and determined that psychopaths can feel empathy; they just choose not to. ​

Despite changes to thinking about what defines a psychopath, it is still widely accepted that cruelty towards animals, when evidenced in a child’s development, is a significant indicator of developing psychopathy, since it demonstrated lack of empathy for a living creature. 

How far away from being a full-blown and dangerous psychopath is an individual who either cannot, or chooses not to empathise with the feelings of another being? ​

I wanted to share with you a delightful encounter I had this past weekend after an individual from the US left a comment on our viral dog video (currently more than 36 million views). After sharing the video with a friend, he voiced his thoughts about what he saw when watching the pack of dogs running joyously into their new four-acre enclosure: “4 acres of shit”.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen such a comment. Probably one in fifty (there are over forty thousand comments) people feel the need to make a remark like this. Sometimes I let it go. At other times, I am nudged to give them a response.

That was the case with this one, so my reply was: “What a nasty cynical view. Does it ever occur to you that it gets picked up? If this is all you can see when you look at the video, that’s a hater’s view of the world”.

His response began with “It’s a joke you lil bitch”. Then went on to call me a motherf****r, and other unpleasant things. But not content with the tirade, he decided to let me know that it was because of people (he didn’t say people – he used the plural of an unrepeatable four-letter word beginning with the letter c!) like me that the country was “going to shit”. Clearly, he felt strongly about it, because he repeated this accusation twice.

I had to laugh. I thought it was hilarious.

In my reply, I thanked him for his comments about me, then I observed that jokes are usually funny, before pointing out that I wasn’t actually in his country that was “going to shit”. I explained that I could nonetheless empathise with this view, and proffered my own version of why his homeland was in trouble. I suggested it was because it was being run by bullies who were intolerant of other people’s opinions; who saw nothing but negatives; who could not deal with contradictory opinions; who responded to everything with aggression; who gave knee jerk reactions to situations that faced them; who didn’t even attempt to understand the perspectives of others or the reasons behind their actions. Then I invited him to explore if he recognised himself in any of these criteria.

His response was a rather lame “LOL. You still talkin’?” which I guess he thought was witty (he missed out the apostrophe, but that’s just me being a punctuation Nazi). But then his friend joined in. His shared wisdom went as follows: “You are a little bitch and I hate your shitty little farm.”

So I thanked him (warmly) for his contribution and expressed my disappointment that he did not like my “shitty little farm”. Then I explained that the “shitty little farm” had brought a lot of pleasure to a lot of people (as evidenced by the thousands of comments) and that we were merely trying to make the world a better place. Then I concluded: “What contribution are you making?”.

Thus ended the contretemps.

I believe from the location, their appearance, their use of language and their general attitude, that these charming persons may well have been gangbangers (the common parlance for members of street gangs).

Now just in case you think my wry account omits some colourful retorts on my part, please be assured that I have stated them as close to verbatim as possible. I did not get cross, recriminate or stoop to abuse. But I did make my points clearly, with perhaps a touch of irony that was probably lost on my apparently none too sophisticated readers. 

But why on earth did I bother at all?

Why did I willingly enter into a war of words and (perhaps) even provoke the abuse and unpleasantness that was levelled at me. Why didn’t I just walk away?

Good question!

Because it was an Archangel that nudged me to instigate the dialogue.

Does that seem strange to you?

Giving random and unrequested feedback to total strangers is a risky thing to do, especially when it’s confrontational. However, it gives us a clue to one of the purposes of all old souls, that may be a cause of discomfort for many. Read on…
 
There are two basic methods by which we can learn.

1. We find things out for ourselves. 

Across the course of a lifetime, we explore many experiences from which we may draw conclusions that we use to inform our decisions. But mostly, we don’t. We continue through our lives blithely, not reflecting upon our encounters and the events of our lives, not seeking meaning and not even looking for learning.

When applied to learning that needs us to reflect upon ourselves, this ‘take it or leave it’ approach can be so haphazard in its effectiveness, that it’s almost the equivalent of trying to apply the laws of probability to a game of Blackjack. It’s totally relevant and can help us win, but only a very small number of people can actually do it whilst the cards are in play. Most of us are unaware of how the laws apply, not skilled enough to count cards, or simply too absorbed in others aspects of the game to care.

A lack of introspection is one of the main reasons why we have to live so many lifetimes in order to progress. We simply don’t ‘get it’ that easily.

2. We learn as a result of getting input from others. 

People who we are due to encounter in our lifetimes, through their actions, words, or general impact upon us, will actively or passively deliver messages that cut through the complexities that self-acquisition of knowledge may be fraught with.
 
Some learnings will be welcome, obvious and easy to absorb. Others will be unpalatable, contentious and not sit comfortably with us. As such, those who offer us teachings are as likely to be reviled as they are embraced.

Even then, taking to heart the messages we receive is a matter of freewill and choice. It isn’t necessarily any more effective than self-guided learning, but if we are open to it, and prepared to reflect upon what we hear, such input can offer a major ‘leg up’.
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Part of the problem with the learning that we struggle with is that it is not school book stuff. It relates to us at a very personal level. It might require us to understand the implications of our behaviours, extrapolate outcomes of our poor choices, modify damaging attitudes, challenge negative beliefs, or most frequently, to examine our actual effect upon all that is around us vs. what we intended, or what we believe that impact to be.

A great deal of what we hear will go against the deceptions our egos would have us believe about ourselves. As such, it’s almost guaranteed that this type of feedback is inflammatory and hard to stomach. Nonetheless, it is vital.

Precisely who should deliver this potentially life altering wisdom is a challenge. We may agree any number of contracts with those whom we are due to pass through a lifetime with, that they will intervene at an appropriate moment. But such specific contracts are all too easily forgotten or ignored.

It’s far easier to taker a scattergun approach, and what this looks like is all old souls having a built-in mandate to pass on the wisdoms that have allowed them to progress to their current point on the ascension pathway. This is not necessarily in reference to spiritual knowledge (although that might be a part of it), but the dissemination of their views of the ways in which we must learn to deal with our 3D experiences.

Does this mean that old souls are walking fonts of wisdom who should constantly be searching for pearls to cast before the swine? Absolutely not!

However, to have arrived at the point that they have, old souls have lived dozens of lifetimes and do possess an accumulated wealth of understanding, albeit buried at a soul DNA level. Consequently, they have the ability to perceive the world and events quite differently from the perspective of younger souls. They have a lot to offer those who have not advanced as far, without even being aware of it.

Perhaps hearing this, you assume that it means you have to be clever, or insightful, or incisive? This is not the case. It simply means that when you have an opinion about something that contradicts the views of others, you should not be afraid to share it. Never mind concerns about upsetting apple carts, or getting people’s backs up, or even damaging relationships. If something strikes you as needing to be said, SAY IT!

Not every piece of wisdom that passes your lips will be earthshattering. Not everything that you say will make a world of difference. But amongst the chaff there will be wheat, and it’s not your responsibility to sort it, it’s the responsibility of those who hear what you say.

Uptake on your ideas may not be automatically forthcoming. You should not expect to see immediate changes in anyone you give information to. What feedback does is plant a seed that the recipients may or may not allow to grow. But that’s their choice, not yours. Your mission, should you decide to accept it (and believe me, you should!), is simply to cast the seed upon the ground and let nature take its course. It may take years for a piece of input to filter into an individual’s consciousness; or it may never see the light of day again.

Yet all too often, old souls hold back. They bite their tongues because it seems the decent thing to do. Many prefer to avoid confrontation, or not get involved with other people’s issues, even if their mindset affects us personally. They don’t realise that this is not just a purpose, it’s a mandate. It may not extend to these outside of your family, or social circle, but failure to respond to the imperative you have been born with deprives others of input that may be of immeasurable value. They may not thank you for it, they may hate you for it, they may curse and disparage you, but you may actually save them whole lifetimes of learning requirement and in the process, help to change the world.

And you’re also endangering yourself by creating the throat chakra issues that can result from an old soul NOT speaking their mind.

People need to be challenged. The world is in short supply of wisdom right now. It needs old souls to not sit on the fence or take a back seat. The voices of reason, of kindness, of tolerance, of caring, of compassion, of positivity, of love – they all need to be heard right now, even if they get shouted down.

 
So will the seeds I sowed with the two gang-bangers fall upon barren ground? Will they, respectively, reflect upon whether or not they are part of the problems of their country, or what their contribution is to making the world a better place? Who knows. That’s not my issue.

​But I did play my part, and so should you. Fearlessly!

​Today I came across a couple of online petitions I was being exhorted to sign. Both seemed worthy, doubtless put together by well-intended people who wanted to make a difference.
 
The first was launched in an attempt to prevent prolonged suffering of confined farm animals. The second was trying to influence large retailers to stop selling meat from abused lambs. On face value, there's nothing wrong with either petition. Both apparently have the power to do good. 
 
I can well imagine that many animal lovers rushed to append their signatures, feeling that they were contributing to making a difference in the lives of animals. I have myself advocated the power of signing petitions (see: 'Petitions - To Sign Or Not To Sign', Feb. 2015 on the Some Dogs Are Angels blog pages) and these certainly draw attention to the plight of the poor unfortunates that are due for slaughter. 
 
If it were a petition about the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, or stopping the monstrous Monsanto in their corrupt pursuit of total dominance of the agricultural industry, proximity, due process, or legality would pretty much prevent anything more than adding your name to a petition. Nonetheless, it would be your metaphorical way of shaking your fist and raising your voice in anger; a way of doing something when no other recourse was available, wouldn’t it?
 
Now let’s explore the reality of these petitions: The first advocates killing the animals quicker; the second advocates only selling meat from animals killed without being abused first.
 
Can you see the irony?
 
Both petitions proceed from the standpoint that it's O.K. to kill animals in the first place. (The latter even seems to assume that being killed does not constitute suffering.)
 
So, I found myself wondering how many of those who eagerly added their digital signatures did so to alleviate their guilt. Do they pretend to themselves that their actions will change the outcome in the hapless animal's lives? Do they imagine that their inevitable and unnecessary premature deaths can be made nicer?
 
If the signatories really cared so much about animal welfare, have they stopped eating meat? Do they realise that only then would animals not need to be confined before their deaths, or face pre-murder abuse? If they really want to alleviate suffering, have these people already chosen not to be complicit in mass killing? Do they recognise that if they’re still eating meat of any kind, or indeed eating any product that comes from an animal, that they’re still part of the problem, and not the solution?
 
For the majority, I suspect not.
 
I understand and accept that maybe signing this kind of petition is a stepping stone on the way to a more enlightened approach to animal welfare; and I recognise that such moves may induce individuals who add their names to ultimately eschew allowing harm to be done to animals in their names. And I know that if the measures they advocate were to be adopted, the experience these poor creatures have to go through might be a modicum less ghastly. But their fate will still be cruel and unnecessary.
 
So to those who have not yet come around to the realisation of their culpability, sign petitions to assuage your guilt by all means. But wake up to the fact that you literally have the power of life in your hands. The fate of scores of helpless animals rests upon choices you make personally, every year. How long before you wake up to the suffering you cause? Don’t deceive yourself that pressing a button on the computer is any kind of substitute for what you do personally, now, today, to bring about real meaningful change in their lives.
 
All you have to do is decide.

​Today I read a striking article about a school in South Carolina.

Apparently, the parents of pupils there are in outraged uproar because they have discovered that their children are being taught the Five Pillars of Islam.

Naturally, these parents are deeply upset because they realise that in their delicate formative stages, these 11-year-olds are being exposed to the tenets of other religions, which will NOT expand their consciousness, but actually distort their thinking.

Cannily, they have realised that creating an awareness of alternatives does NOT facilitate the growth of enquiring minds; it merely prevents them from becoming narrow-minded bigots.

Clearly, from their own extensive knowledge and deep understanding of the Pillars, they have been able to discern that learning about other faiths is NOT a gateway to a tolerance of fellow earth dwellers: it is a sure route to the development of subversive religious radicalism.

The parents are wise to the fact that spreading of such faith based propaganda, in the form of fill-in-the-blank worksheets, will NOT enlighten their offspring to alternative beliefs, but inevitably lead to an abandonment of the tenets of their own faith, in favour of Islamic fundamentalist fanaticism.

In short, these wise people recognise that opening the mind to the beliefs of others does NOT bring understanding, acceptance and a live-and-let-live mindset, but is in fact a short and slippery ride to involvement in terrorist activities that will inevitably strike at the heart of the homeland.

So, you can understand why the parents are righteously upset that they weren’t warned in advance that their loved ones were about to be exposed to dangerous, dissident data.

We can surely all empathise that the poor parents are scandalised that nobody gave them the opportunity to shield innocent minds from the corrupting influences of the Pillars.

It is quite clear that knowing that Muslims believe “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet”; that Muslims must “Pray five times a day and visit a mosque on Fridays”; that they have to “Give alms to the needy”; “Fast from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan” and “Make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime” is indeed pretty debasing stuff, isn’t it?

Fortunately, these victims have excellent organisations like the Christian Action Network who have leapt to their side to decry the shocking and evil “Islamic indoctrination infiltration of our public schools”.

We may all feel grateful that the Christian Action Network can assuredly be relied upon to help promulgate the fear and prejudice that being ill-informed inevitably breeds.

They will help to ensure that these impressionable young minds remain the justifiable prisoners of hatred and bigotry; because that is working so well for everybody.

And they will be backed by heroic national leaders who wish only to ensure that the new generations of voters are blindly oblivious to, and protected from, learning that might allow them to see that we’re all the same.

Doubtless, well thought out and completely warranted steps will be taken to eradicate any trace of exposure to the aberrant notion that in the final analysis, all religions espouse love and peace.

Perhaps there will now be calls for moves to ensure that the Executive and Legislative bodies create a God-fearing State. (Fear of the right God, that is.)

It seems clear that the country must move forward and set aside that outdated and fundamentally flawed principal, that church and state must be kept separate. After all, there is no evidence that letting them become intertwined causes major problems, is there?

It could even be argued that school curricula nationwide must be tightened to ensure that the good people of the country learn only what the State leadership wishes them to know; because let’s face it, nothing else matters. (North Korea have proved this admirably.)

And in this microcosm, may we look for evidence that, over the course of the next four years, we will finally see the ideological back of that land that stood for ‘liberty and justice for all’?

Can the US finally obliterate its (tarnished) image that so many have loved from afar and aspired to be a part of? What value is there in being seen as a country that welcomes the world’s downtrodden, helpless and misplaced? It has already made such great strides in casting aside that silly idea that it welcomes those looking for a new start where they will be accepted and not judged. Why not go all the way?

How about facilitating a purging of that troublesome Amendment (considered so important by those foolish Founding Fathers, that they mentioned it first): Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Those South Carolina parents are obviously correct and justified in wanting to close down the promulgation of education, knowledge and learning. Who can blame them for being scared of what they don’t understand? Why should they recognise the ignorance in themselves?

We should all join in supporting them and look forward to the time where extremism, intolerance, bigotry and prejudice are given free rein.

Let’s all herald the fact that the place that has inspired us, to the point where we call it 'The Leader of the Free World’, celebrated as the “Land of the Free”, actually means free for White, Straight, Christians.   

That’s what everybody wants.
​
Isn’t it?

​Some time ago I received an email that pretty much blew me away. It was from a person requesting a channeling on behalf of their partner. This individual apparently wanted to communicate with Satan!

Being asked to channel a demonic construct for devil worshipping occultists is not exactly the sort of thing I'm used to, and I was a bit taken aback. My initial shock was somewhat assuaged by the uncertainty expressed by the requester, regarding whether Satan was an archangel, or an ascended master(!). That sounded O.K. Perhaps they weren't interested in the horned, cloven footed, red bodied, tailed, pitchfork carrying being after all. Maybe their partner was merely transposing names?
 
It's a common mistake to make. Names like Beelzebub, Old Nick, Hobb, or any number of other demonic monikers that are used to describe the embodiment of ultimate evil are regularly used in reference to the Archangel Lucifer!

So where does the confusion come from and why is Lucifer so frequently maligned, and tied in with something so ghastly?

Basically, it's a matter of roles.
 
At some point in our dim and distant linear past, some channel accurately revealed that AA Lucifer had certain responsibilities that have subsequently tarred his/her name. These include the monitoring of the parameters of possible incarnate experience that incorporate what might, from a certain perspective, be regarded as the negative aspects of balance which we all strive to understand and acquit ourselves against. His is a key role, since it involves an amassing of experiential data that is crucial to an understanding of the human experience, and thus, an extension of all that is. Experiencing the bad/wrong/dark is, after all, a massive part of the purpose of being here.
 
What then transpired in our thinking about AA Lucifer is something akin to guilt by association. If your name is attached to concepts that stem from the extremes of negativity, it's a short trip in the average mind to a combination of factors that gets bandied about as evil. And 'responsibility for' all too easily becomes 'orchestrator of'. And in a very short time indeed, poor old AA Lucifer assumes in the minds of the uninformed, connotations of, well, satanic proportions.

Then the Catholic Church steps in with its long held tradition of taking a piece of information and twisting it out of all recognition, so as to meet its own ends.Exerting the well tried and tested formula that control of the masses is most easily achieved through the application of fear-mongering, it sponsors and promulgates a scurrilous rumour that there is a being that embodies all that is not as it should be, and defines it as 'evil'. And since there's already a rumour flying around that there's actually an angel who personifies this stuff, why not make him/her the fall guy? And thus the whole misguided impression that we have, of quite who or what Lucifer is, is born.

Across the ages since, there have been plenty who are willing to pick up the battle decries. Authors like Dante and Milton, steeped in their own mire of mid-term religiosity, have a great deal to answer for with their so-called epics, ‘Inferno’ and 'Paradise Lost'. (To my mind, these are two of the most overly aggrandised pieces of quasi-poetic tedium ever to grace the pages of a book. Does that make me philistine? Well, have you ever met anybody who likes them?). Geared to work up the fears of ordinary God-fearing folk, their supposedly reverential 'masterpieces', have combined with countless outpourings of nonsense before and since, and in perpetuity, distorted our understanding of precisely who or what Lucifer is.
 
So in the interests of setting the record straight, here are some AA Lucifer facts:

• Lucifer is an Archangel, just like Michael, Gabriel, Raphael et al.
• Lucifer is not a fallen angel. (There is no such thing as a fallen angel.)
• Lucifer is certainly not 'evil' (A term describing pure negativity and fear.)
• Lucifer may be channelled like any other Archangel, if a request is made.
• Lucifer has people who are of his 'ray', just like any other Archangels.

 
What then, is the other red guy with the horns, claws (and maybe a fiddle) all about?
 
What we term and think of as ‘Satan’ is a construct based upon total negativity and pure fear. It has assumed a place in societies, in various forms, the world over. Its depiction results from a conjuring of excesses of negative imagination, as if drawn by a child asked to draw an alien it had never seen. It is given humanoid form to be scary, yet overlapped with other creatures so as to make it an 'ungodly hybrid' and all the more terrible. It is used as a blunt instrument to instill fear, ensure compliance, and even entertain. We continue our perpetuation of its mythology in a vast variety of media that seems to hold us in thrall of its very devilishness.

Yet in reality, all it is, is a representation of an aspect of our being that is the extreme negative manifestation of the balance that we should otherwise be achieving. The word ‘satan’ actually means ‘adversary’. We take this to mean adversary of mankind. It has become embodied as the notion of one who wishes us harm. But in the context in which it was meant when it was originally explained, it represents the adversarial nature of the struggle we have with ourselves when we incarnate. In choosing our pathways through life, we are always faced with decisions that may broadly be defined as good or bad, right or wrong, light or dark.

Learning, understanding and acquitting ourselves against the challenges that life presents us with, has a great deal to do with erring towards the first part of all of the above pairings, and moving away from the second. As such, we are in opposition with no 'demon', but ourselves. Bad/wrong/dark are often accompanied by ease, attraction, convenience, pleasure, or any of a whole host of seductive epithets that may cause us to follow them as our route.

Certainly, we are meant to experience what bad, wrong, and dark offer, most likely across many lifetimes. But as our soul’s age, we come to realise the hollowness of their appeal and move away from the choices they present to us. How many lifetimes it takes to establish a balance within our lives and get past them, will be proportionate to how quickly we can confront the conflicting emotions our choices present us with. Although they sound like extremes to be experienced in a limited number of situations, they permeate every aspect of our lives. We are constantly faced with adversarial thoughts within ourselves, forcing us to decide to do what is for our highest good, or succumb to other options.

As we amass experience of life at a soul DNA level, the choices become easier and the satan within ourselves wanes away. Nonetheless, it is something that is always within us, not a red bodied demon that threatens from the outside; and certainly not a fallen angel!
 
​
The requester of the channeling assured me that they would clarify with their partner precisely who they required an audience with, and assured me that they would get back to me. But as it turned out, I never heard from them again, and I never did the channeling of AA Lucifer. I can only assume that this person’s interest was ultimately not with the etheric at all, and I had indeed come into contact with someone who was drawn to the dark side...

​I wonder what your response is to the events that have been taking place in the US these past few weeks? Are you horrified? Shocked? Appalled? Disgusted? I can’t begin to conceive that any old soul would feel remotely comfortable with the tyrannical and damaging choices being made by the new administration.

But I do wonder how many people feel indifferent, blasé or unmoved. It may all appear to be somebody else’s problem that isn’t really our concern.

​Or perhaps you feel powerless? Do you think it’s inappropriate to speak up? Or do you think you simply can’t make a difference anyway?

This morning, I was having a chat with AA Michael (as one does) about the actions taken so far. He was quite resolved that there was “A lot more to come”, and he referenced the ripple effect created by the Brexit vote I wrote about last year. The etheric knew back then what was to come, so we may take it on good authority that their awareness of what will transpire now is equally well informed. Thus I reasoned that if their level of confidence in ‘more to come’ was so high, then surely that meant that everything was ‘fated. Doesn't it mean that we're already stuffed?’ The answer (quoted verbatim) was somewhat surprising:

“Challenges that present themselves that impact the whole of humanity may be progenitors of energies vital to spurring individuals upon their ascension pathways. Often they will necessarily involve apparent suffering, yet they belie the opportunity for the mass to rise up and react personally against that which is against the interests of all. Glib acceptance of the status quo and a failure to even attempt to access the power of manifestation in the context of shaping reality is an unfortunate loss of opportunity.

That which appears to be a fixed feature of the way in which your experience evolves may merely be an indicator of the way in which forces of influence have enacted in the moment. At all times, your incarnate lives are a blend of your intentions, exercise of your freewill, manifestation and the impacts created by the energies of others [their intentions, freewill and manifestation]. Thus, reality is most often a fluid experience that may be molded with a greater degree of impetus than you may otherwise anticipate.

The responses of all are key at this moment. The range of possible outcomes and consequent realities is vast. Which reality you occupy will have much to do with the influence exerted upon the ether and the manner in which the collective consciousness responds to the events which are transpiring. The greater the force of positivity (which may appear as a negative reaction in opposition to the actions taken by this ‘administration’), the greater the likelihood of the outcomes becoming what will be for the highest good of all.

Those who feel themselves to be powerless inevitably will be. They will be missing their opportunity to embrace and enact learnings regarding manifestation, the Great Oneness and the true nature of change. Those who are troubled, yet remain silent and do not voice their concerns, risk negative affects upon their throat chakra. Those who deem action unnecessary or of no consequence must be content with all that follows.

It is, as in all things, a matter for your own choosing. An awakening of consciousness of what is possible and a smooth transition to a kinder 4th dimensional reality will be, for many, dependent upon the realisation that this is an opportunity to begin creating what the essence of that reality should be.

Be aware that waves of resistant, well founded and ‘righteous’ energy, that which is founded in the certainty of experience and summoned from a soul DNA level concerning what is balanced and correct, may sweep away any bastions of negativity that may be established.

This is now, as it always has been.

​I am Archangel Michael, and so it is.”

In other words, the divisive and ill-chosen travesty begun by the Brexit vote is a challenge for humanity on a par with the rise of Hitler (yes, really), specifically initiated for the purposes of trying to halt an already rapid decline into an invasive and toxic vibration that threatens to engulf the planet.  

If you do have a concern about what Drumpf and his cohorts are up to, don’t just sit passively by and do nothing, because you’ll be one of those responsible for letting it happen.

Use whatever means are in your power to bring forth and become part of the wave of energy that will wash away this ghastly aberration, even if it is another country’s politics.

Talk to your friends and colleagues about it. Let your feelings come out. Tell people why you believe what is being done is wrong. Post anti-Drumpf propaganda on Facebook. Add comments to Twitter. Use whatever social media you have to spread the wave. Keep feeding it with disgust, outrage, indignation, anger or whatever you feel. Make your opinions known. Shout it from the rooftops! It IS righteous and appropriate. And don’t just do it once. Keep doing it, again and again, to feed the force of the wave. DON’T STOP until it sweeps away the danger that is amongst us.

It is time for all us to speak out for what we believe in. Even if you do not feel you have a voice that will be heard, in vocalising your beliefs you unleash a vibrational power beyond your own means.  You CAN affect the future – yours and everyone else’s -  in ways you may not be able to conceive of.

NB. Should this blog strike you as a rather meandering and personal journey down memory lane, be assured that it (eventually) arrives at a rather profound spiritual revelation!

Some nights ago, Sharon, Tristan and I found ourselves having a family conversation about the trips we took to Singapore in 2001 and 2002. We're not really a family to reminisce, and it was a very brief discussion, but the memories for all of us were relatively vivid, and we shared an amusing recollection of one particular and frequently repeated event.

Our family holidays actually had their origins in trips I made to Singapore in the mid 1990s when I visited to run management development courses whilst working for HSBC. These took place on the island of Sentosa. If you're not familiar with it, Sentosa is situated in the Straits of Singapore, one quarter mile off the mainland, and accessed by a causeway that spans the sea between the two bodies of land. An alternative approach is via a breathtaking 1,650m cable car connection that bridges the void at a ridiculous height so as to allow for giant cruise ships to pass beneath. The island has an interesting history, and was often involved in conflicts or military activity, perhaps most notably during the Japanese invasion during WWII. However, in 1972 it was renamed Sentosa (which means peace and tranquility) and developed as a (notional) tourist idyll.

When I first visited in 1995 I was captivated by the place. It presented itself in sharp contrast to the bustling metropolis of the main island city, and consisted of untouched tropical rainforest, interspersed with tourist attractions so tacky that they were good! You could take a 7 stop, tediously slow 1.2 mile monorail ride around the whole island in about 40 minutes, and on the way, visit places such as Fort Siloso (an historical remnant from the attempted defence of Singapore during WWII); Butterfly World (replete with exotic species of both plant life and butterflies); Underwater World (one of the best aquariums I have ever visited); the Dancing Fountains (that put on a fabulous music and light show at night); a fascinating Wax Museum (relating the history of Singapore through tableaux); the Dragon Trail (a pathway through the rainforest interspersed with dragon 'remains'; and the Enchanted Grove of Tembusu (a supremely 4th rate homage to the elemental spirits of the island). Inexplicably perhaps, I found the place utterly magical. It was hardly a tropical paradise, but it was a gently amusing and rather bewitching distraction from the manic urban concentration of Singapore main.

When I left HSBC and started my own business in the latter half of the 1990s, there was perhaps an inevitability that I would try to find my way back to Singapore. I was thrilled when in 2000, I had a client that needed to run training events in the region, and my suggestion that Sentosa should be considered as a venue was accepted. Gleefully I returned and was not disappointed. It had changed little, and apart from the monotonous yet spellbinding music on the monorail having been somewhat updated, all was exactly as I had remembered it, with one new addition: The island was now dominated by a gigantic 37m tall Merlion, a mythical half fish, half lion creature that is the ‘national personification’ of Singapore. The proud statue, only being built when I had last visited, now allowed tourists to access its heights via an elevator, and offered views over the main island from both its head and mouth. At night it was lit with a slowly changing array of colours that made it appear even more impressive than it did during the daytime.

In 2001 I was due to deliver a series of events in Malaysia and Singapore, involving locals from 9 different countries in the region. My last port of call would be Sentosa, but there was a two-week gap between the Malaysian and Singaporean events. I suggested to Sharon that she and the kids (then 11 and 7) fly out for a holiday, rather than me making the trek back to the UK. Fortunately, the timing would coincide with their school Easter holidays, and the family enthusiastically accepted my suggestion that they come out for three weeks, even though I would have to work during the last week.

It is remembered by all of us as one of our best family holidays ever, and my family were as enrapt by the vaguely ridiculous nature of the attractions as I was. It helped that we stayed in a comfortable five-star hotel, and that by now, Sentosa was way too uncool for many to visit; so we basically had the place to ourselves. Our days would be spent hopping on and off the monorail and meandering between the questionable delights of the island. Then in the evenings, as if for contrast, we would be shuttled effortlessly, via the air-conditioned splendour of an ultra-modern luxury coach, to the city centre, where we would explore the amazingly stocked malls and dine in the fabulous array of restaurants.

Even during my last week, our presence on the evening shuttle service was almost guaranteed, since my evenings were free. As we ventured out, there was always a fresh frisson of excitement about what we would experience that particular trip. However, there was also an ongoing consistency, because it was guaranteed that as we traversed Sentosa, upon coming into sight of the giant Merlion statue, Tristan would always say "There's the Merlion". This simple and quickly formed habit of his became the subject of much amusement and mimicking, eventually resulting in a family game or competition to see who could both spot the beast, and say the line first.

When we returned to the island for a fortnight in 2002 on our way back from Hong Kong, where business had once again taken me (and where I'd met up with the family) the games were repeated. They were great times and the memories are still captivating. My unusually vivid memory allows me to relive the many special experiences and fun times, and I relish them when I do so. 

​But nothing good lasts forever, and Singapore is an island nation constantly fighting for economic attractiveness and pre-eminence, which it achieves through change and development. In 2005 Sentosa was changed forever. The old tacky places I had loved were ground to rubble, the rainforest was largely ripped out to make way for more hotels and a Universal Studios theme park, and even the monorail we had travelled so much was deleted from the island’s topography. Only the more modern attractions like Underwater World survived. It came as no surprise to me that the glitz and glamour of modernity that sums up the Island State is far more acceptable to the locals than the lingering vestiges of a simpler and more innocent era. After all, who wants to gaze upon the inanimate peeling paint of a stone Tiki when you can thrill to 'Transformers: The Ride'; or risk brain death boredom on a snail's pace, barely moving 1970s monorail, when you can join the frenetic race aboard the duelling rollercoasters of 'Battlestar Galactica'? Even the once imposing Merlion, beloved of our game, is blotted from its skyline pre-eminence by a panorama that now seems to consist entirely of anonymous and bland hotels. To my mind, Sentosa's unusual charm and fading beauty are gone forever. We have not been back since 2002 and we are unlikely ever to do so. Frankly, we wouldn't want to now anyway.
 
However, our brief excursion down memory lane that night took us back to the 'See The Merlion First' game, and it was this that our dinner table discussion centred around. We could all agree that we sat aboard the most up-to-date and comfortable charabanc, gliding effortlessly through a night filled with incessant insect calls and bewilderingly brief glimpses of local flora and fauna. We all accepted that the anticipation of espying the Merlion was enhanced by small wagers, related to whatever colour it would be presented in, at the moment at which it seemed to leap out of the darkness; and we all recalled fondly the mirth provoked by the teasing nature of the banter that centred around Tristan's endless seven year old's enthusiasm for the mythical monstrosity.

But I was suddenly struck by the fact that whilst we were all discussing the same experience, and our memories seemed so intimately interconnected, our actual emotional recollection of the events that took place bore only a superficial similarity to one another. I could not delve into Tristan's childhood mind to uncover the possible awe he might have experienced at seeing what must have appeared as a colossal configuration of a creature. I could not define how Sharon reacted to the possible pleasures of sitting amidst her family for those few carefree and marvelous weeks. And I was totally bereft of the ability to share how almost mystical I found the nightly repeated ritual to be, fed by my overwhelming, sheer joy at being in this particular part of the world, at that particular time.

In so many respects, we were devoid of connection. We could not reach into each other's minds and touch the consciousnesses that we were creating. We experienced not just alternate perceptions of the moment, but full blown alternate realities surrounding what happened.

The discussion tapered out and I sat in silent reflection for a few moments, hurt by the pathos of the situation and the realisation that our separateness is complete. We can never convey our true feelings about anything to anyone else in a wholly accurate or comprehensible way.

In fairness, this recognition was an experience I had gone through numerous times before, but tonight, for some reason, it struck me as particularly poignant. But then AA Michael chose to contribute a thought:

My realisation was, he proffered, not a grim recognition of a sad and unfortunate truth, but a glimpse of the true meaning of the etheric's oft used phrase 'discreet individual beings, having unique experiences of reality'. It was the very separateness of our perspectives upon the circumstances and events of our lives that makes our lives so precious and valuable. No matter what the situation, no two individuals may EVER experience the same thing. And it is precisely this uniqueness that is of value to the Creator, and thus to all, in experiencing the parameters of the possible. ​

That's me told!
​